College of Natural Resources Welcomes New Department Head

Moving vans rolling along American interstates are a familiar summer sight as modern-day nomads pack up family and possessions and migrate to the next leg of the career path. Relocation brings its share of adventures and headaches, but imagine a transcontinental move as in the case of Johan du Toit, new department head for the College of Natural Resources' Department of Forest, Range and Wildlife Sciences.

 

Du Toit, who spent the past six and half years as director of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, seems unflustered by the transition. "I've lived in Logan before," he says. "I was a postdoctoral fellow here in ’88-89 under (Professor) Fred Provenza."

 

Du Toit earned a bachelor's degree from South Africa's University of Cape Town and a doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before returning to his homeland to teach at the University of Zimbabwe for nine years. His recent research interests have focused on the indigenous large mammals of the African savanna and the role of these animals as mediators of ecosystem processes.

 

Urged to assume the USU position by longtime colleagues, du Toit says he looks forward to his new responsibilities, along with research and teaching opportunities.

 

"Both the college and the department are in transition and both have a lot of potential," he says. "Our challenge is to consolidate and integrate the diverse segments of our department."

 

He's also eager to trade the hustle and bustle of Pretoria, South Africa's legislative capitol, for the relative tranquility of Cache Valley.

 

"If I was to choose a place to raise my children, I don’t think I could find much better than Logan," says du Toit, father of a 14-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter.

 

Du Toit acknowledges that he'll "have one foot in both continents" for the foreseeable future, as he continues to supervise doctoral candidates in South Africa. He looks forward to further strengthening ties between Utah State and a number of universities throughout Africa, where USU has maintained a collaborative research presence for several decades.

 

Other objectives for du Toit include evaluation of current course offerings and development of new courses, as well as continued recruitment of quality undergraduate and graduate students. He plans to teach at least one course each semester.

 

Beyond campus, du Toit says he looks forward to hiking local canyons and mountains with his family and enjoying winter skiing at Beaver Mountain.

 

"It's hard to believe that this area will be covered in snow in six months," he says.

 

Probably sooner.