The top tree fruit industry in the nation requires and deserves one of the nation’s elite research and education programs. When I arrived at Washington State University six years ago, I indicated that tree fruit programs would receive a disproportionate share of investment, and that is exactly what has happened. Despite severe budget challenges, WSU has continued to advance its tree fruit initiative. Over the past five years, we have: Doubled annual expenditures on tree fruit research Created and filled eight new faculty positions and Invested in several outstanding new facilities Achieving legitimate world-class prominence requires four critical elements: 1) Outstanding […]