Photo By: Submitted
Mississippi State's long-time partnership with a national consulting foresters group has funded a student's path toward a forestry degree.
Jared Mathis, a junior forestry major from Brookhaven, was this year's recipient of an annual scholarship awarded by the Mississippi Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters, or ACF.
The transfer student earned an associate degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, where he made the Honors List, served as vice president of leadership in Phi Theta Kappa and was on the school's archery team.
"I'm honored to have been given the scholarship from the Association of Consulting Foresters. I was able to meet with a representative of the organization, and it seemed like something that I would be lucky to be a part of, in any capacity. I'm grateful for the opportunity," said Mathis, who is pursuing concentrations in both wildlife management and forest business.
Ryan Ramsey, who is the current chair of the Mississippi Chapter of the ACF, said Mathis' well-rounded dedication made him a great choice.
"The Association of Consulting Foresters is an organization that ensures integrity to our clients. Jared was given the scholarship because he reflects that integrity with a good moral character and strong work ethic. He'll make a great addition to the forestry industry one day," Ramsey said.
The Mississippi Chapter of the Association of Consulting Foresters has been helping MSU students gain a meaningful education for nearly ten years and remain devoted to education even amongst themselves by maintaining 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Alongside education, there are several other values members of the ACF hold dear.
"To be a member, we have to agree to a code of ethics. One part of that is not having any personal timber buying interest; all our motives are oriented around the well-being of our clients. We also aim to promote true and helpful information about the forestry industry while challenging deceptive or slanted information. It boils down to trying to be a positive force in the field, really. We try to be honest, forthcoming and take care of our clients while promoting the industry. This scholarship is one of the ways we're able to do that," Ramsey said.
For more information on the Association of Consulting Foresters, visit www.acf-foresters.org/acfweb.
The College of Forest Resources can be found online at www.cfr.msstate.edu.
