Welcome to the Fall 2024 edition of the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS) alumni newsletter!
I am Harvey James, Director of the Division. I was formally appointed Director in March of this year. I was Interim Director for about 15 months prior to that. Some of you may know our previous Division Directors: Joe Parcell (2017-2022), Jill Findeis (2011-2017), and the late Mike Nolan (1995-2011).
DASS is one of six Divisions within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). Our focus is on the social sciences. The other five divisions (animal sciences; plant science and technology; food, nutrition and exercise sciences; natural resources; and biochemistry) emphasize the sciences. If you think of the sciences as silos (vertically), then as a social sciences division, DASS cuts across all of them (horizontally). The Division has four undergraduate programs: agribusiness management, agricultural education and leadership, hospitality management, and personal financial planning. There are also graduate programs in agricultural and applied economics, agricultural education, and personal financial planning. Through research, teaching, and extension, DASS enhances the organizational, managerial, financial, and regulatory capabilities of people and enterprises affiliated with or connected to the food and agricultural system. This is why an applied social sciences division works well within and is needed by CAFNR.
I am pleased to report that Mary Hendrickson and Jon Simonsen were promoted to the rank of professor on September 1, 2024. Also promoted to associate research professors are Jasper Grashuis and Kerry Clark. In addition, effective September 1, Dr. Matt Sveum became the chair of the agribusiness management program. (Chairs of the other programs include Jon Simonsen for agricultural education and leadership, Amanda Alexander for hospitality management, and Andrew Zumwalt for personal financial planning.)
Two faculty members retired in 2023: Dr. Laura McCann (agricultural and applied economics) and Dr. Scott Brown (agricultural and applied economics).
Congratulations and thank you to all of our faculty who celebrated recent promotions and retirements!
We have had several important hires in the Division.
- Ben Brown, who is currently a doctoral student in agricultural and applied economics at Mizzou, has accepted a role as extension specialist.
- Jason Franken (PhD from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) joined the Division as associate professor of agricultural and applied economics and MFA Chair in Agribusiness. He was previously a professor at Western Illinois University.
- Lijing Gao (PhD from Iowa State University) joined the Division as assistant professor, with a unique position to support the agricultural education and agricultural science communications programs, as well as the Division of Animal Sciences.
- Jim Green (PhD from University of the Incarnate Word) joined the Division as associate teaching professor of personal financial planning. He was previously Director of the Office for Financial Success at Mizzou and an adjunct instructor in DASS.
- Stephen Mukembo (PhD from Oklahoma State University) accepted a role as assistant professor with leadership over the McQuinn Center for Entrepreneurship.
- Alejandro Plastina (PhD from University of Nebraska-Lincoln) was appointed the incoming director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). He was previously associate professor at Iowa State University.
- Jodee Stock joined the division as program/project support coordinator to support the Division Director’s office.
- Ashley Worley has been appointed CAFNR Business Officer (CBO) and promoted to Manager III Business Administration within the Division.
In addition to these recent hires, the Division is actively searching to fill two key faculty vacancies. These include a tenure-track livestock economist with a focus on research and extension and a tenure-track professor to research and teach in the intersection of environmental economics and energy economics.
In other news, the Financial Research Institute, led by Dr. Mike Sykuta, and the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, led by Dr. Keri Jacobs, have been named as CAFNR Programs of Distinction. One of our outstanding undergraduate students, Grant Norfleet (senior, agricultural education) was elected National FFA secretary at the 96th National FFA Convention. Two faculty members received prominent campus level awards: Alan Spell was selected for the 2024 Provost’s Award for Creative Extension Programming, and Corinne Valdivia was selected for the C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship Award. Scott Brown received the prestigious Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence from the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City. And the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.
There are 39 ranked teaching, research, and extension faculty and almost as many staff and supporting employees within the Division. We currently have 427 undergraduate students in the four programs in the Division, which represents a nearly 4% increase compared to the previous year. On the research side, Division faculty published 11 articles per research FTE (more than double rate of last year), received more than $7 million in research awards, and had $5.1 million in grant expenditures in the 2023 fiscal year.
All said, the Division is moving forward well. We see a bright future.
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to: hjames@missouri.edu.
Harvey James
Director, Division of Applied Social Sciences