Dr. Nancy M. Cox, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky was eager to participate in the promotion of the book about the life of her friend Dr. Will D Carpenter, and she writes:
Within a few months of retiring from Monsanto in 1992, Will returned to his home state and became Executive-in-Residence for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. He dedicated his work efforts to raising the profile of MSU by helping us to coalesce our plans for a greater presence in biotechnology to include collaborations, new faculty hires, and eventual establishment of a Life Science and Biotechnology Institute. Will used his corporate connections to expose MSU faculty to executives and scientists from Monsanto, Delta Pine and Land Company, and the Danforth Institute (during the early planning stages for the latter. He was essential to creating a more sophisticated and connected culture in the life science and biotechnology faculty at Mississippi State University.
Will helped a lot of junior faculty see the scientific “universe,” and I was one of those faculty. During planning sessions for our expanded presence in biotechnology, Will expressed confidence in my sense of direction for our programs. That confidence was a real turning point for me and no doubt was a huge factor in my continued development as a leader.
Dr. Nancy M. Cox, September 2014