Alumni & Friends

FER Home : Alumni & Friends

The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER) maintains collaborative ties with industry partners, government agencies, non-profit organizations, environmental groups and alumni around the world.

  • Our News & Events section often includes details on programs, luncheons and other special events of interest to FER’s alumni and other supporters.

If you would like to post an event or announcement to the FER Alumni & Friends web page, please contact forestry-web@ncsu.edu or call Lisa Schabenberger at 919-513-7368.

If you are an FER alumni or friend, we encourage you to stay in touch and to update your contact information regularly:

  • Update your Alumni Info Page and receive automatic notification of events, opportunities and special initiatives.
  • If you are a Friend but not an Alumni, please send updated contact information to cnr_development@ncsu.edu
  • Do you have a career accomplishment or know of one achieved by a classmate? If so, please email Lisa Schabenberger or call her at (919) 513-7368 to have the news included in our alumni updates.
  • Professor emeritus Art Cooper is updating FER's history and would like to include the accomplishments of Distinguished Alumni who graduated during the period 1979 to 2005. He welcomes nominations for people who should be included in this section. When making your nomination, please provide the nominee’s year of graduation (or your best guess). Send your email nominations to Dr. Cooper at arthur_cooper@ncsu.edu or write to him at Campus Box 8008 Raleigh, NC 27695.
  • Download our latest Forestry Newsletter and sign-up to receive copies of future issues.  Explore other department newsletters from the left-hand links.
  • Visit the CNR News Page for more information about what's going on around the College.
  • Visit the NC State News Page.

Friends & Partners

Many companies and other organizations support FER’s activities by:

  • Donating funds, equipment and laboratory space to our projects.
  • Co-sponsoring our research or extension initiatives.
  • Involving FER in projects they are undertaking.
  • Supporting career opportunities and internships for our students.
  • Joining the College of Natural Resources' Community for Diversity to create and promote a welcoming environment in the natural resources profession.

For more information on how your organization could partner with FER, please contact the CNR Development Office at cnr_development@ncsu.edu.

For more information on these programs, please email Lisa Schabenberger or call her at (919) 513-7368.

Giving Options

The generosity of FER’s alumni, friends and partners make it possible for FER to expand facilities, increase international presence, pursue new avenues of research, attract top faculty, provide financial aid to students and disseminate information throughout the world. Gifts fund buildings, laboratories, forest lands, field facilities, research initiatives, extension programs, scholarships, fellowships, endowments and so much more. In fact, many programs or facilities now bear the names of our generous donors or their loved ones. Other donors have preferred to remain anonymous. All have our thanks.

If you are interested in becoming a financial supporter of FER, you have a number of options open to you:

  • Donations of property, investments, cash, life insurance, and deferred giving programs provide donors with tax benefits. For more information, contact cnr_development@ncsu.edu or Jennifer Viets Catalano at the NC Forestry Foundation
  • The NC State Alumni Association sponsors a diversified array of giving societies, donation options and recognition programs for NC State alumni.

Sharing Career Opportunities

Are you an employer with open career opportunities that you would like our students to know about? We can host both casual informational sessions and formal interview sessions that connect you with our students. Please contact Brenda Flood at brenda_flood@ncsu.edu or 919-515-5637 to make arrangements.

If you are an alumnus who would like to share your career experiences with our current students, our student clubs are always looking for speakers and would benefit greatly from your perspectives. To volunteer your services, please contact Brenda Flood at brenda_flood@ncsu.edu or 919-515-5637.

Promo Area

Shown above: FER alumni J. Wilson Jones, Jr. (center) epitomizes the dedication that many alumni have to the continuing success of their industries and NC State. Jones graduated with a forestry B.S. in 1956 before following his father, grandfather and great grandfather into the lumber business. He credits his subsequent success to the broad education he received at NC State, along with the connections and friendships he forged while here. His sons, J. Wilson, III and Stephen M., have now joined him in running the family business — the J. W. Jones Lumber Company, Inc. and Mackeys Ferry Sawmill, Inc. near Elizabeth City, NC. Over the years, Jones has hired many NC State graduates and kept active in industry organizations, serving on the North Carolina Forest Advisory Council and as past Chair of the Board of Trustees for the College of The Albemarle.

His knowledge and generosity have been of great benefit to others as well. He and his wife, Margaret, are long-time supporters of the College of Natural Resources and have funded several scholarships. Regarding the lives he has touched, Wilson Jones says simply, “When somebody needs a helping hand, you stick out the hand and do what you can.”

Key Contacts

Lisa E Schabenberger
FER Program Coordinator
Phone: 919-513-7368
Fax: 919-515-6193
lisa_schabenberger@ncsu.edu

Jennifer Viets Catalano
Development and College Relations
Phone: 919-513-7734
Fax: 919-515-6302
cnr_development@ncsu.edu