家禽科学的柯蒂斯（Curtis）赞扬了变革性领导

同事描述的变革性，透明和公平是Patricia Curtis部门主管the家禽科学部门. Curtis wasnamed department head在2017年，但在接受该职位之前，柯蒂斯说，该部门必须愿意改变。

“I never wanted to be a department head,” said Curtis. During her interview for the job, Curtis told the hiring committee that she was only interested in coming back to NC State to help lead the department in a new direction.

“I felt like we needed to make some changes in the department in order to prepare students for their role in industry five, 10, 15, 20 years from now. I don’t want to come if you’re not ready to change. So, everybody knew changes were going to be involved when I came on board,” said Curtis.

With only six departments of poultry science in the country, Curtis said they all looked very similar. The only thing that made NC State stand out from the others is that it had all three commodities: layers, broilers and turkeys.

在她从事高等教育的30多年中，在北卡罗来纳州州的15年中，柯蒂斯在该行业及其同龄人中受到了尊重。

“A lot of us in the department were looking for a change. There were some power structures in the department that needed to be broken down,” saidKen Anderson, a professor in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science and the director of the North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Program. “I think she took the bull by the horns and made the changes that needed to be made.”

安德森（Anderson）和柯蒂斯（Curtis）于1991年开始互相合作，当时她是食品科学系的家禽和鸡蛋扩展专家。这些年来，即使她被引诱到奥本大学，两人也建立了牢固的工作关系和友谊。但是，一个总是向安德森（Anderson）对他的朋友和同事脱颖而出的组成部分：她从不害怕变得肮脏。

“When you’re collecting samples from an egg processing machine, you’re sticking your hand in dirty wash water to get samples and take them to the lab,” Anderson shared.

And getting dirty wasn’t just about rolling up her sleeves. Curtis fought hard for the department and the poultry industry as a whole.

“She wasn’t afraid to go to battle for us with upper administration,” said彼得·费尔特, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Nutrition and Biotechnology. Typically known for being a male-dominated industry, Ferket believes Curtis has helped shift the industry’s landscape.

“Dr. Curtis was the very first female department head,” Ferket shared. “When you look at our current student population, 70% are female. We’re also hiring a lot more female faculty. Having Dr. Curtis in this leadership role has set a positive example for our female students that you can do anything, especially in poultry science.”

柯蒂斯说，除了创建一个更公平的部门外，她还喜欢指导新教师。

柯蒂斯说：“在北卡罗来纳州州，我们总是试图做事，似乎我们已经领先了。”“找出我们需要走的道路是一个挑战，我希望鼓励新教师不要让这些事情妨碍这些事情。不要说：“那以前从未做过，所以我们做不到。”相反，请问自己想去哪里，最好把您带到那里的最佳途径？”

Curtis says her leadership is certainly different than those who have led before her. In addition to being more transparent about the department’s budget and fair-use among facilities, Curtis had one major rule — 100% compliance.

“I wanted to make sure we were 100% compliant with everything that we were doing, whether it be research or auditing, there was no reason not to be compliant,” Curtis said. She even created a staff safety officer position to make sure everyone in the department could keep up with all the rules and regulations.

“通过参加她的参与Food and Drug Administrationand the United States Department of Agriculture’s食品安全与检验服务. Pat is one of the people they call upon and that’s a testament to her historical work in industry,” said Anderson. In August 2020, the USDA appointed Curtis to theNational Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection.

“我们非常感谢帕特为家禽科学领域所做的一切，”农业与生命科学学院临时院长约翰·多尔说。“这个全国认可的部门在她的领导下蓬勃发展。家禽行业对北卡罗来纳州非常重要，帕特一直致力于确保该部门满足行业需求。”

As Curtis wraps up her last few weeks at NC State, her colleagues believe she’s laid the foundation and groundwork for the department’s next leader to elevate the department to new heights.

安德森说：“我们拥有更强大的基础设施和更好的设施，这确实是因为她的领导能力，公平和开放。”

As for what’s next for the outgoing department head? “I’m moving to Illinois the first week of July. My son, daughter-in-law and grandkids are there. I’m going to spend time with them, do some traveling with my friends and just enjoy life,” said Curtis. “NC State has been a good place for me… I met some of the greatest people that I’ve enjoyed working with and that’s what I will miss.”

这篇文章是originally publishedin College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News.