What's New
Director Named for School of Environmental Design and Rural Development
August 5, 2011
Wayne Caldwell, a professor in rural planning at the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) since 1992, has been appointed for a five-year term, commencing August 8, 2011. Caldwell’s expertise includes the future of rural communities and he has published extensively in the areas of planning, community development, agricultural land preservation, rural land use and the environment.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Wayne to this role” says Robert Gordon, Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) at the University of Guelph. “In addition to his outstanding qualifications as an academic and expertise in the critical areas of rural planning and the environment, Wayne is an experienced facilitator and will bring outstanding leadership to the School.”
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Maurice Nelischer, who has worked tirelessly as director of SEDRD for the last five years, with outstanding support for the School, the College, and the University” says Gordon.
Caldwell is immediate past President of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and he has served on Council for the Canadian Institute of Planners. He is a founding member and Past Chair of the Ontario Rural Council and a founding member of the Huron Stewardship Council, and the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation.
"I look forward to working with SEDRD faculty, staff and students to profile and build our connections with communities, our respective professions and within the University" says Caldwell. "SEDRD has a unique role within Canada and internationally. Our programs benefit our students, our respective professions, communities and society as a whole. In the future we will continue to build relationships and explore the potential for new partnerships and opportunities. I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students as we move forward."
SEDRD provides education and research through programs in Landscape Architecture, Rural Planning, Capacity Development and Rural Studies. It has attained an outstanding reputation in the areas of planning, design, conservation, preservation, management and development of cultural and natural environments in Canadian and international settings. SEDRD is one of six academic and research units that make up the OAC, Canada’s largest comprehensive institution for research and teaching in agriculture, food, rural communities and the environment.
