WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University has hired John Blanton as the new head of its Department of Animal Sciences.
Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Purdue Agriculture, said the university is excited for Blanton to be the new leader of the animal sciences department.
“We are very excited. The new head comes from Mississippi State, where he was the animal sciences department head,” Plaut said, adding that she looks forward to the innovative ideas Blanton is going to bring to the department.
Plaut said Blanton will help take the Department of Animal Sciences to the next level.
“We know how important animal science is to the state,” she said, citing Indiana’s swine and poultry industries that rank among the top in the nation.
With the new state-of-art animal sciences building built a few years ago, Plaut said Blanton can help move the College of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue forward.
“We have a great animal sciences department that leads in many areas,” she said.
Plaut said she believes Blanton will help the department, as well as the College of Agriculture, make more of an impact in the digital agriculture industry, as well as continue to make sure animal welfare and management remain at the forefront.