Dr. William D. Dar and former BSU president Dr. Bruno M. Santos glad to meet each other during the 90th foundation anniversary of BSU last year.

      
      Former BSU vice president for research and extension, presently director general of ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), William D. Dar, will be conferred Doctor of Resource Management Honoris Causa in a special mid-year graduation this November.

     Dr. Dar is the first Asian and Filipino Director General of ICRISAT. When he assumed ICRISAT's highest post in 2000, he added a human dimension to its research programs and activities by adopting a motto,";Science with a human face" explaining that ICRISAT deals not only with crops in the semi-arid tropics but also the men, women and children who struggle everyday to make a living. ICRISAT is one of the 15 international centers nurtured by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) supported by the World Bank and FAO .

     Under his leadership, the international research institute based in India is rated outstanding this year by the World Bank and the CGIAR Executive Committee for total excellence of research, institutional and financial health and stakeholders' perception.

     Recently, Dr. Dar has also been elected as Chair of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST) at the recent UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in Madrid, Spain last Sept. 3-14.