UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: Carolee Bull is head of the Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology Department, and to support strategic initiatives in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology within the Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, her husband Jean-Philippe Fillettaz, have made a pledge to match donations up to $25,000.

According to Bull, The Foundations for Leadership and Innovation Endowment in Plant Pathology will seek to develop novel undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral training and research programs to prepare students for successful careers in entrepreneurship, academia, government and industry and position department faculty and staff as leaders within the college and their disciplines.

She explained “Through this endowment, the legacy of the past will ensure our students and faculty lead the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State and the discipline of plant pathology as we move into the future.”

Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Richard Roush said that they are all extremely pleased that Dr. Bull has taken the initiative to support this department’s future and they are proud of all that Carolee and her colleagues, students and staff have achieved over the past year, and the commitment and faith she and Jean-Philippe are showing with this investment.

Bull’s research focuses on phytobacteriology, systemic bacteriology, biological control and sustainable and organic agriculture, and has been published and discussed in leading academic journals such as Phytopathology and PLOS ONE.

Carolee Bull said “In the short time that Jean-Philippe and I have been in State College, we have come to believe deeply in the mission of the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology and the dedication of the staff and faculty.”

Bull serves as convenor of the International Society for Plant Pathology's Committee on the Taxonomy of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria, and as secretary of the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on the Systematics of Prokaryotes.