A person should be hired in the dean's office to collate and maintain all departmental web pages in a common, consistent, and modern format. A full time person needs to be hired to help faculty put together interdisciplinary teams and to help write large training and research grants. This person would also help in obtaining the significant University matching funds often needed for such grants. These administrative skills are often the sole impediment to faculty writing these types of grants. Although the faculty are the most significant asset for a research university, infrastructure runs a close second.
Facilities are also an important tool in recruiting new faculty.
In addition, new facilities and support units are needed to enhance research in new emerging areas as well as multidisciplinary groups. These renovations should be performed in a defined order, with priority to those departments primarily involved in laboratory research. Many of the research farms are in need of renovation and personnel support. This is the backbone of the Plant Science department and the turf grass breeding programs. Core facilities, especially supporting the thrust areas of the college, must be created and supported.