November 16-18, 2005

ITEM 129-2002-R1105    Authorization to Confer the Title of Professor Emeritus of Entomology upon Wendell Morrill; Montana State University-Bozeman

THAT: Upon the occasion of the retirement of Wendell Morrill from the faculty of Montana State University the Board of Regents wishes to express its appreciation for his service to the University, the Montana University System, and the people of the State of Montana.

EXPLANATION: Dr. Wendell Morrill retired on June 30, 2005, after 26 years of performing research and teaching at Montana State University. His academic career began in 1973 as an assistant professor, and he came to Montana State University as a tenured associate professor in 1978. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated excellence in research, scholarship, teaching, and service. 

His research and academic interests have centered on agricultural entomology, and in particular on the integration and conservation of natural enemies toward effective pest management in a variety of crops. He has contributed to records of new natural enemies for pests in several major crop systems. His research demonstrated the applicability of safer insecticidal seed treatments to manage wireworm and cutworm soil insect pests. Field entomological research was instrumental in supporting the registration of widely-adopted winter wheat varieties that are resistant to wheat stem sawfly-induced lodging. The elucidation of the role of the parasitoid Bracon cephi in co-suppressing wheat stem sawfly populations in combination with solid-stem winter wheat lines also originated in his program. More recently, he has focused on the co-development of integrated pest management for the wheat stem sawfly, centering on augmentative and conservation biological control. He has lectured on agricultural entomology and biological control at numerous national and international institutions. He has published 90 articles in scientific journals and authored a book and a number of book chapters on agricultural insect pests.

While serving at MSU, Dr. Morrill taught undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in crop entomology and associated research approaches. In 1988-1990, he was a visiting scientist and project leader for biological control and rice cropping systems at the prestigious International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.

For these and other contributions, the Board of Regents of Higher Education is pleased to confer upon Wendell Morrill the rank of Professor Emeritus of Entomology at Montana State University and wishes him well for many years in the future.