Hendrick named outstanding 4-H alumnus
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EmailRonald L Hendrick, dean of Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, inducted into the prestigious Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society in 2018.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jackson County 4-H alumnus Ronald L. Hendrick, of East Lansing, is among eight 4-H alumni inducted into the prestigious Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society in 2018. Hendrick was recognized on Oct. 5 during the Michigan 4-H Foundation’s 4-H Emerald Award Ceremony in East Lansing.
The Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society honors former Michigan 4-H members whose professional leadership and community service reflect the ultimate outcome of 4-H membership – extraordinary use of an individual’s head, heart, hands and health to make communities, the country and the world better places in which to live. This recognition is provided by Michigan 4-H Youth Development with support from the Michigan 4-H Foundation.
Hendrick was appointed dean of the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2016. He had previously served as interim vice president for agricultural administration and interim dean for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the Ohio State University (OSU). Prior to that, he was senior associate dean and director of the OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources. Hendrick started his career at the University of Georgia (UGA), where he was associate dean for academic affairs in the D. B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He was also graduate program coordinator for UGA’s School of Forestry and a founding codirector of the Consortium for Accelerated Pine Productivity Studies. He earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from MSU in forestry and forest ecology, in 1986 and 1992, respectively. Hendrick was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska–Fairbanks from 1992 to 1993.
“Beyond the practical skills I gained, my 4-H club activities helped teach me persistence, the importance of teamwork and the value of mentoring and helping others,” said Hendrick. “I also benefitted from being in groups that included people from a variety of backgrounds, skill sets and interests. Those are all things that have helped me throughout my life. 4-H definitely helped me be a more effective leader by learning to value those differences, and bring them together in ways that benefit the greater good, and help people stretch and grow.”
Growing up as a Jackson County 4-H member, Hendrick exhibited many woodworking and leather craft projects and served as an officer in his 4-H club. Today, he remains committed to 4-H as a lead donor to Michigan 4-H’s Day of Giving campaign, which is held on Giving Tuesday (the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving) each year.
The 4-H Emerald Awards Ceremony was hosted and emceed by State Sen. Judy Emmons, a Montcalm County 4-H alumna and 2014 4-H Emerald Clover Society inductee. Also inducted into the 4-H Emerald Clover Society Class of 2018 were: Darwin Booher, Evart; Domonique Clemons, Flint; Barbara Haynes Heyboer, Hudsonville; W. G. (Mac) McPherson, Lowell; Thomas Nugent, Clarksville; Maggie Sans, Clarkston; and Gretna Van Fleet, Frankenmuth.
Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society members are inducted every two years. The inaugural class of 62 members was honored in 2002 in celebration of the national 4-H centennial. For more information on the 4 H Emerald Clover Society and its members, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org/ecs.
The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org. Michigan 4-H Youth Development is the youth-serving program of Michigan State University Extension. More than 209,000 youth are involved in 4-H with the support of 16,000 adult volunteers. For more information about Michigan 4-H, visit www.4h.msue.msu.edu.
