Source:  NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 10/22/21


One of the many opportunities faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have is taking scholarly leave to work in another part of the world. It’s something NC State Professor Emeritus George Kriz says he wishes he had taken advantage of during his time at NC State.

George Kriz came to NC State in 1965, working in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering as a researcher and teacher for four years and then as the associate department head in charge of Extension until becoming the associate director of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service (NCARS) in 1973. 

George met his wife Rhoda in 1986 in Washington, D.C. The two wed in 1989 and Rhoda came to North Carolina to be with George. She started working in the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic in the Department of Plant Pathology.  

“NC State was getting more into technology, converting everything to computers around that time,” George explains. “They were also writing new programs at the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.” George says Rhoda was a perfect fit. Growing up on a farm, she had an agricultural background, while her expertise was in computer programming.

The couple worked together at NC State for 10 years.

“NC State was good to us. I was very fortunate that when George traveled, I would get to travel with him. It was important to us as a married couple to be together,” says Rhoda Kriz. 

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