Graduate Program Review
2001-2007
Department of
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Eduardo Segarra, Chair
College of
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
John Burns, Interim Dean
November 2007
PROGRAM REVIEW OUTLINE
Agricultural and Applied Economics
I.
Program Overview – A one to two-page summary of department’s vision and goals.
II.
Graduate Curricula and Degree Programs
Scope of programs within the department
B. Number and types of degrees awarded
- Degrees Awarded – Academic Year (chart)
- Total Degrees Awarded – Academic Year (chart)
- Comparison of Degrees Awarded – Fall Data (Peer info table)
- Program Degrees Awarded (table)
C. Undergraduate and Graduate semester credit hours
- Semester Credit Hours – Academic Year (chart)
- SCH compared to Budget - Academic Year (chart)
D. Number of majors in the department
- Enrollment by Level – Fall Data (chart)
- Total Enrollment by Year – Fall Data (chart)
- Comparison of Enrollment – Fall Data (Peer info table)
- Program Enrollment (table)
E. Course enrollments over the past six years (enrollment trends by course – include
detailed course descriptions and requirements)
- Course Enrollments by Academic Year (table)
F. Courses cross listed (undergrad and grad – need syllabus for both types of courses)
III.
Faculty
A. Number, rank and demographics of the graduate faculty
- Teaching Resources (chart)
- Tenured and Tenure-Track by Rank - Fall Data (chart)
- Comparison of Full-time Faculty (Peer info table)
B. List of faculty members (graduate and non-graduate) (table)
C. Summary of the number of refereed publications and creative activities (table)
D. Responsibilities and leadership in professional societies
- Professional Leadership (table)
- Committee service (table)
E. Assess average faculty productivity for Fall semesters only (use discipline appropriate
criteria to determine)
- Faculty Workload (table)
- College SCH/FTE – Fall Data (chart)
- Department SCH/FTE – Fall Data (chart)
IV.
Graduate Students
A. Demographics of applicants and enrolled students
- Graduate Student Summary by Category – AY (chart)
- Graduate Student Summary by Year – AY (chart)
- Graduate Applicants by Region – Fall/Summer Data (chart)
- Graduate Applicants - Fall Data (table)
- Admitted Graduate Students - Fall Data (table)
- Enrolled New Graduate Students - Fall Data (table)
- Demographics of Enrolled Graduate Students - Fall Data (table)
- Demographics of Enrolled Undergraduate Students - Fall Data (table)
B. Test scores (GRE, GMAT or TOEFL) of enrolled students
- Average GRE Scores for Enrolled Graduate Students – Fall Data (chart)
C. GPA of new students
- New Graduate Students GPA by Level – Fall Data (chart)
D. Initial position and place of employment of graduates over the past 6 years (table)
E. Type of financial support available for graduate students.
F. Number of students who have received national and university fellowships, scholarships
and other awards
- fellowships awarded (table)
G. Graduate Student Publications and Creative Activities (table)
H. Programs for mentoring and professional preparation of graduate students.
I. Department efforts to retain students and graduation rates
V.
VI.
Department
A. Department operating expenses
- Department Operating Cost - Academic Year (chart)
- Department Operating Cost as a Fraction of Employees - (table)
B. Summary of Proposals (Submitted)
- Summary of Number of Proposals Written and Accepted (table)
C. External Research expenditures
- Summary of Faculty Awards (table)
- Research Expenditures (chart)
- Peer Institution Info (if available) (table)
D. Internal funding
- Source of Internal Funds (TTU) - (table)
E. Scholarships and endowments
F. Departmental resources for research and teaching (i.e. classroom space, lab facilities) (table)
G. HEAF expenditures (table)
Conclusions – a one- to two-page summary of the observed deficiencies and needs
identified by your review. Highlight areas of greatest need and areas of significant
contributions.
VII.
Appendices – should include, but not be limited to, the following:
Table of Contents
A. Strategic plan – Annual Assessment Report and Strategic Planning Update
B. AAEC Course Offerings and Syllabus
C. Recruiting Materials
D. Graduate Student Handbook
E. Graduate Student Association - Description and information
F. Graduate Faculty Information (current Confirmation/Reconfirmation forms for all tenured
and tenure-track faculty)
G. Departmental Annual Research Reports FY 01-02 to FY 06-07
1
I.
Program Overview – A one to two-page summary of department’s vision and goals.
The mission of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEC) states that we
are committed to provide the highest standards of excellence in learning, research, and
engagement on all aspects of the economics of regional, state, and global production,
distribution, and consumption of food and fiber goods and services, and public and private use
of natural resources. The vision statement of AAEC states that we intend to be recognized as
the center of excellence for leadership in learning, discovery, and delivery of knowledge on
economic aspects of all current and emerging issues related to regional, state, and global food,
fiber, and natural resources. Appendix A contains copies of our strategic plan and the latest
annual assessment report and strategic planning update (a wealth of relevant information and
data for AAEC is contained in this update).
The Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at Texas Technological
College was established in 1927, when Agricultural Economics was still in its infancy as an
academic field of study (a hybrid of economics, mathematics, statistics, and sociology as
applied to issues in the agricultural sector). It began with four courses and one faculty member
(L.D. Howell) in the Fall of 1927 and the first degree was awarded in 1929. In 1933 the name
was changed to the Department of Agricultural Economics, Farm Management, and Rural
Sociology. Then, the name was shortened to Agricultural Economics in 1947. The name
remained unchanged until 1996, when the department was renamed Agricultural and Applied
Economics in acknowledgement of the growing proportion of graduates employed in fields not
directly related to agriculture.
The department’s history is one of consistent struggle for resources, with the faculty and
administration attempting to match the achievements of the Land Grant departments of
Agricultural Economics without having access to financial resources. As programs and
numbers of students grew, positions and other support consistently lagged. The department
remained primarily an undergraduate teaching department until the mid-1960s, when an
infusion of young research faculty brought in additional research capability and a significant
boost in the M.S. program. The department graduated only 149 students, all B.S., between
1929 and 1955, an average of 5.5 students per year (today we graduate around 50 B.S. students
per year, plus approximately 5 M.S. and 2 Ph.D. students per year). The M.S. program began
about 1955, with a total of 28 students graduated between then and 1969. A Ph.D. program
was approved in 1969, but was not offered until 1979 because of inadequate resources for the
program. The first Ph.D. graduate from the department graduated in 1982.
The discipline has always concentrated its efforts on the “applied problems and quantitative
applications of economics and statistics to those problems” (Department of Agricultural
Economics, Report to President Grover Murray, 1968). This department has historically tied
its research programs to the problems of the semi-arid West Texas region-cotton, livestock,
rangelands, the Ogallala aquifer, and related matters. Dedicated research funding until 1995
was limited to a cooperative agreement with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station –
Texas A&M University and small portions of Legislative “line-item” funding received by the
College, all controlled by other departments within the College. There was also a research unit
of the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, housed in the department
between 1975 and 1981, and a small endowment established the Thornton Agricultural Finance
Institute in 1981, but its funding has been essentially static.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
2
The Department was awarded a Legislative line-term to conduct Cotton Economics Research
in 1995 that provided a funding base from which to construct a planned, focused research
thrust. This has since been re-configured by the College since formal line-items were
eliminated, but the department currently receives approximately $175,000 per year to support
its overall research program. From this relatively small base, the faculty in the department has
established an international reputation for its research in Cotton Economics – through the
Cotton Economics Research Institute, Risk Management and Crop Insurance, Agricultural
Finance – through the Thornton Agricultural Finance Institute, International Marketing and
Trade Research – through our participation in the Center for North American Studies, and the
Water Resource Economics Initiative. Average total research funding in the last six years has
been $1.6 million per year. An annual research report is produced each year which documents
the research performed and the overall research accomplishments of the department (Appendix
G contains copies of the last six annual research reports).
The department continues to “overreach” its research base, as has been its pattern throughout
its entire history. In 1970 the department had 13 faculty members, with which it managed an
undergraduate program, a small M.S. program (13 students), no Ph.D. program, and a
rudimentary research program. Today the department has 15 regular faculty members (14.25
FTEs) and maintains two undergraduate programs, a Master of Science program (thesis and
non-thesis options), a Master of Agribusiness program, and a Ph.D. program, contributes to a
College – sponsored Master of Agriculture program, contributes to a joint M.S./J.D. program
with the Law School, contributes to a M.B.A. – Emphasis in Agricultural Business
Management which is sponsored by the Rawls College of Business Administration, and
maintains a research program that embodies around 30 research projects per year. Graduate
programs are synergistic with the undergraduate programs and the research program, and a
considerable number of undergraduate students are inherently integrated in the research
program. A continuing problem is recruitment of sufficient numbers of qualified graduate
students.
Today, the AAEC Department is one of only two non-land grant departments in the U.S. that
offers a Ph.D. program in Agricultural Economics or Agricultural and Applied Economics,
although a few other departments offer an Agricultural Economics program within their
Economics Ph.D. programs (e.g., Harvard University, Stanford University). The other
Agricultural Economics Ph.D. program is located at the University of California – Berkeley,
which has substantial endowments (e.g., the Giannini Foundation). The Land-Grant
departments receive dedicated federal Hatch Act funding through the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station research. Because
of differences in functions and typical huge differences in funding base, direct comparisons of
Texas Tech University Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics to other
departments is problematic.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
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II. Undergraduate and Graduate Curricula and Degree Programs
A. Scope of programs within the department
The AAEC Department offers the following degree programs:
•
•
•
•
•
•
B.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics
B.S. in Agribusiness
M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics; thesis option
M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics; non-thesis option
Master of Agribusiness
Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics
The Department also contributes and collaborates to the following programs:
•
•
•
Master of Agriculture - Emphasis in Agricultural Business Management which is
sponsored by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
A joint M.S. in AAEC/J.D. program which is sponsored by the Law School
M.B.A. – Emphasis in Agricultural Business Management which is sponsored by the
Rawls College of Business Administration
With respect to the Department’s graduate programs, the M.S. thesis program requires a
minimum of 30 credit hours, including 6 credit hours of thesis credit, and is considered to be
among the strongest analytical M.S. programs available in the U.S. The M.S. non-thesis
program requires a minimum of 36 credit hours, retains the analytical course work of the thesis
program, but lacks the more sophisticated training and experience associated with the thesis
research work. The Master of Agribusiness program requires 36 credit hours which retains
strong analytical training, but in which a greater emphasis is placed in practical business
knowledge acquisition and requires participation in the internship program. The Ph.D.
program is a broad-based applied economics program – the students who complete this
program are well prepared as general applied economists, but not typically with deeply rooted
subject-matter specializations.
It is relevant to highlight here that the Master of Agribusiness program was not only developed
as a response to the need to address the “practical business knowledge” side of
agriculture/agribusiness, but as a strategic positioning of the department’s graduate program
for the future. That is, the faculty felt that we no longer could solely rely on our “traditional”
graduate programs to grow our overall graduate program contributions. Because we strongly
believe that our departmental contributions regarding the Agribusiness emphasis are significant
and the prospects to increase enrollment in this program is great, we requested the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board to approve a NO additional cost to the State
authorization for this program. We received authorization for the adoption of this program in
the Fall of 2006. We had our first graduate out of the Master of Agribusiness program in
December 2006 (obviously, we had this student in track in this program prior to its approval).
Agricultural and Applied Economics
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The Master of Agriculture - Emphasis in Agricultural Business Management program which is
sponsored by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is a terminal degree
program that is well suited for students who are targeting a carefully-defined career track
(examples include international commodity marketing and long horn ranch management). As
stated above, the M.S./J.D. program is a joint program with the Law School; it is essentially the
M.S. non-thesis program in which 12 hours of Law School courses are counted toward the 36hour requirement, and the Law School allows AAEC courses to be used as electives in their
J.D. program. This program, the first of its kind, was implemented in the mid-1980s. The
M.B.A. connection entails M.B.A. students with the Agricultural Business Management
emphasis taking approximately three graduates courses in the AAEC department for the
emphasis area.
Given the fact that there is a high degree of inherent synergy among all of our six academic
programs (our two undergraduate programs, two M.S. programs, the Master of Agribusiness
program, and our Ph.D. program), we feel it is appropriate for us to highlight here the specific
learning outcomes we seek to achieve in each one of our programs and how we go about
evaluating these. The set of informational tables that follow contain the following information
for each program. Table 1, contains information with respect to the specific expected learning
outcomes to be achieved in each program, and what courses in those programs are expected to
contribute to the achievement of the stated learning outcome. Table 2, contains a description
of the methods used to assess the learning outcomes, as well as the instruments used to assess
the attainment of learning outcomes goals. Table 3, highlights and describes the data which is
collected to analyze and evaluate the attainment of learning outcomes. Table 4, summarizes
the overall “program level” assessment plans.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
5
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (9/1/2007)
DEPARTMENT:
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS
Table 1. Documentation that learning outcomes are incorporated into the curriculum for
all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
(AAEC)
Undergraduate Program - Agricultural and Applied Economics
Item LEARNING
OUTCOME
Expected Learning Outcome
AREA
1
Communication Development of professional ability
to communicate in written and oral
forms in both individual and team
settings, in addition to effectively
interacting with colleagues in team
assignments.
2
Technology
Mastery of the use of basic
computer-based information systems
to organize, manipulate, analyze,
and present economic data.
3
Disciplinary
Development of ability to use logical
Knowledge
inference and deductive reasoning in
conjunction with economic models
to effectively define and solve
economic problems.
4
Integrated
• Mastery of theoretical and
Learning
applied economic tools to
prepare for advanced degrees in
economics, law, business
administration, and other related
fields.
• Acquisition of the professional
skill set necessary to attain
meaningful employment in the
areas of economics, business
management, marketing, and
sales.
Relevant Courses
ENGL 2311
COMS 2300
One course from GROUP 1* or 2**
or 4301
AGSC 2301
AAEC 3401
AAEC 4302 or AAEC 4312
ECO 3311
AAEC 2305
AAEC 3315
AAEC 3100
AAEC 3304
One course from GROUP 1*
One course from GROUP 2**
Agricultural and Applied Economics
6
* AAEC GROUP 1 includes AAEC 4313, AAEC 4305, AAEC 4306 or AAEC 4320
** AAEC GROUP 2 includes AAEC 4303, AAEC 4315, AAEC 4316 or AAEC 4317
Agricultural and Applied Economics
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ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (9/1/2007)
DEPARTMENT:
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS
Table 1. Documentation that learning outcomes are incorporated into the curriculum for
all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
Undergraduate Program - Agribusiness (AGBS)
Item LEARNING
OUTCOME
AREA
1
Communication
Expected Learning Outcome
Relevant Courses
Development of professional ability
Sophomore English*
to communicate in written and oral
One course from GROUP 1*
forms in both individual and team
One course from GROUP 2**
settings, in addition to effectively
interacting with colleagues in team
assignments.
2
Technology
Mastery of the use of basic
AGSC 2301
computer-based information systems AAEC 3401
to organize, manipulate, analyze, and AAEC 4302 or AAEC 4312
present economic data.
3
Disciplinary
Development of ability to use logical ECO 3311
Knowledge
inference and deductive reasoning in AAEC 2305
conjunction with economic/business AAEC 3315
models to effectively define and
solve economic/business problems.
4
Integrated
MGT 4375
• Mastery of theoretical and
Learning
MKT 4358
applied economic/business tools
FIN 4328
to prepare for advanced degrees
AAEC 3100
in economics, law, business
administration, and other related
fields.
• Acquisition of the professional
skill set necessary to attain
meaningful employment in the
areas of economics, business
management, finance, marketing,
and sales.
* Sophomore English includes ENGL 2305, ENGL 2306, ENGL 2308 or ENGL 2351
** AGBS GROUP 1 includes AAEC 4313, AAEC 4305 or AAEC 4306
*** AGBS GROUP 2 includes AAEC 4303 or AAEC 4317
Agricultural and Applied Economics
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ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (9/1/2007)
DEPARTMENT:
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS
Table 1. Documentation that learning outcomes are incorporated into the curriculum for
all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
Economics
Master of Science – Non-Thesis in Agricultural and Applied
Item Expected Learning Outcomes
Relevant Courses
1
Demonstrated understanding of economics ECO 5311
concepts and analytic methods
ECO 5312
AAEC 5303
2
Demonstrate the ability to use economics
AAEC 5303
concepts and analytic methods to analyze
AAEC 5307
applied economics problems.
AAEC 5310
3
Demonstrated ability to operate in an
AAEC 5307
employment position requiring effective
AAEC MS LEVEL ELECTIVE
use of economic theory and analytic
AAEC MS LEVEL ELECTIVE
methods.
AAEC MS LEVEL ELECTIVE
Agricultural and Applied Economics
9
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (9/1/2007)
DEPARTMENT:
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS
Table 1. Documentation that learning outcomes are incorporated into the curriculum for
all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
Master of Agribusiness
Item Expected Learning Outcomes
Relevant Courses
1
Demonstrated understanding of economics AAEC 5310
concepts and analytic methods
AAEC 5312
MKTG 5360
2
Demonstrate the ability to use economics
ISQS 5137
concepts and analytic methods to analyze
AAEC 5307
applied economics problems.
AAEC 5318
MGMT 5371
BLAW 5290
3
Demonstrated ability to operate in an
AAEC 5000 (6 hours)
employment position requiring effective
AAEC MS LEVEL or MAB ELECTIVE
use of economic theory and analytic
AAEC MS LEVEL or MAB ELECTIVE
methods.
AAEC MS LEVEL or MAB ELECTIVE
Agricultural and Applied Economics
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ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (9/1/2007)
DEPARTMENT:
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS
Table 1. Documentation that learning outcomes are incorporated into the curriculum for
all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
Economics
Master of Science - Thesis Option in Agricultural and Applied
Item Expected Learning Outcomes
Relevant Courses
1
Basic facility with economics concepts and ECO 5311
analytic methods
ECO 5312
AAEC 5303
2
Ability to 1. Develop a problem statement; AAEC 5303
2. Develop a research design;
AAEC 5307
and
AAEC 5321
3. Complete a topical literature
review on a theoretical or
applied economic research
topic.
3
Demonstrate the ability to communicate in AAEC 5321
written and oral form on a well defined
AAEC 6000
and limited scope research topic.
4
Demonstrate personal management and
AAEC 6000
professional skills to function in an applied AAEC MS LEVEL ELECTIVE
research work environment.
5
Develop writing, data analysis and
AAEC 5307
analytical skills for applied economic
AAEC 5310
subjects.
AAEC 5321
6
Demonstrate methodological expertise in
AAEC 5321
an area of research on a topic defined by
AAEC 6000
the student and faculty advisor.
7
Demonstrated ability to operate in a
AAEC 5321
research-related employment position.
AAEC 6000
AAEC MS LEVEL ELECTIVE
Agricultural and Applied Economics
11
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (9/1/2007)
DEPARTMENT:
AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS
Table 1. Documentation that learning outcomes are incorporated into the curriculum for
all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Item Expected Learning Outcomes
1
Basic facility with economics concepts
and analytic methods
2
3
4
5
6
7
Relevant Courses
ECO 5311
ECO 5312
AAEC 5303
Ability to 1. Develop a problem statement; AAEC 5303
2. Develop a research design;
AAEC 5307
and
AAEC 5321
3. Complete a topical literature
review on a theoretical or
applied economic research
topic.
Demonstrate the ability to communicate in AAEC 5321
written and oral form on a well defined
AAEC 6305
and limited scope research topic.
AAEC 8000
Demonstrate personal management and
AAEC 6302
professional skills to function in an
AAEC 6308
applied research work environment.
AAEC 6310
Develop writing, data analysis and
AAEC 6311
analytical skills for applied economic
AAEC 8000
subjects.
Demonstrate methodological expertise in
AAEC 5321
an area of research on a topic generated by AAEC 8000
the student.
Demonstrated ability to operate in a
AAEC 5321
research-related employment position.
AAEC 8000
MINOR PhD LEVEL ELECTIVES
Agricultural and Applied Economics
12
DEPARTMENT:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Table 2. Discussion of the methods used to assess the learning outcomes as well as the
instruments used to assess the attainment of learning outcome goals by undergraduate
and graduate programs.
Degree Program:
(AAEC)
Undergraduate Program - Agricultural and Applied Economics
Overall, there could be up to eight possible methods used to assess the expected learning
outcomes in this degree, depending on student participation in the internship program, the
undergraduate research program, or not. Our assessment methods reflect this flexibility. That
is, five of the eight methods used to assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree will
be applicable to all students in this program including: (1) a pre/post economic assessment
survey, (2) the AAEC 3100 survey, (3) the senior exit interview, (4) the AAEC employment
survey, and (5) the CASNR employment survey. If a particular student in this degree
participates in the internship program, (6) the employer assessment report and (7) the student’s
internship report will be used to further assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree.
Also, if a particular student participates in the undergraduate research program, (8) the senior
research report will be used to further assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree.
Degree Program:
Undergraduate Program - Agribusiness (AGBS)
Overall, there could be up to eight possible methods used to assess the expected learning
outcomes in this degree, depending on student participation in the internship program, the
undergraduate research program, or not. Our assessment methods reflect this flexibility. That
is, five of the eight methods used to assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree will
be applicable to all students in this program including: (1) a pre/post economic assessment
survey, (2) the AAEC 3100 survey, (3) the senior exit interview, (4) the AAEC employment
survey, and (5) the CASNR employment survey. If a particular student in this degree
participates in the internship program, (6) the employer assessment report and (7) the student’s
internship report will be used to further assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree.
Also, if a particular student participates in the undergraduate research program, (8) the senior
Agricultural and Applied Economics
13
research report will be used to further assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree.
Table 2. (continued)
Degree Program:
Economics
Master of Science – Non-Thesis Option in Agricultural and Applied
Overall, there will be four methods used to assess the expected learning outcomes in this
degree including: (1) satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and
quantitative methods, (2) satisfactory performance in specific applied economic problem
solving exercises, (3) satisfactory performance in the final oral defense, and (4) the ability to
find professional employment.
Degree Program:
Master of Agribusiness
Overall, there will be five methods used to assess the expected learning outcomes in this
degree including: (1) satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and
quantitative methods, (2) satisfactory performance in specific applied economic problem
solving exercises, (3) satisfactory performance in the internship component of the program, (4)
satisfactory performance in the final oral defense, and (5) the ability to find professional
employment.
Degree Program:
Economics
Master of Science – Thesis Option in Agricultural and Applied
Overall, there will be six methods used to assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree
including: (1) satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and
quantitative methods, (2) satisfactory performance in specific applied economic problem
solving exercises, (3) satisfactory performance developing and defending a thesis research
Agricultural and Applied Economics
14
proposal, (4) making a professional/peer-reviewed presentation, (5) satisfactory performance in
the final oral defense of thesis, and (6) the ability to find professional employment.
Table 2. (continued)
Degree Program:
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Overall, there will be ten methods used to assess the expected learning outcomes in this degree
including: (1) satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and
quantitative methods, (2) satisfactory performance in specific applied economic problem
solving exercises, (3) satisfactory performance in the economic theory qualifying examination,
(4) satisfactory performance developing and defending a dissertation research proposal, (5)
making a peer-reviewed presentation, (6) making a professional presentation, (7) submission of
a peer-reviewed research manuscript for publication, (8) submission of a research proposal for
funding, (9) satisfactory performance in the final oral defense of dissertation, and (10) the
ability to find professional employment.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
15
DEPARTMENT:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Table 3. Summarize the data collected and evidence of the use of results of those data
Degree Program:
(AAEC)
Undergraduate Program - Agricultural and Applied Economics
The faculty of the department of agricultural and applied economics have delineated the
following plan to collect data documenting the attainment of learning outcomes in a by method
used basis for this degree (appropriate rubrics will be developed for each method used). (1) the
pre/post economic assessment survey; the undergraduate committee will conduct a
representative survey of both entering freshman and graduating seniors to evaluate economic
knowledge enhancement (the survey has already being developed). (2) the AAEC 3100
survey; the instructor of AAEC 3100 will elicit opinions of students with respect to the
relevancy of this degree as a whole and the relevancy of specific courses. (3) the senior exit
interview; as part of this interview the chair will elicit students views with respect to
communication skills, professional training, employment opportunities and overall views about
the program. (4) the AAEC employment survey; in this survey students will be asked for their
opinion about the relevancy of their degree in terms of enabling them to satisfactorily perform
in their position. (5) the CASNR employment survey; this survey asks students about their
ability to obtain a job. In those cases in which a student participates in the internship program,
the internship coordinator will review and evaluate (6) the employer assessment report and (7)
the student’s internship report to further assess the attainment of expected learning outcomes in
this degree. Also, in those cases in which a student participates in the undergraduate research
program, the research advisor will review and evaluate (8) the senior research report further
assess the attainment of expected learning outcomes in this degree. The faculty will review all
the information gathered and discuss the state and possible enhancement of this degree’s
learning outcomes at least once a year at the annual faculty retreat.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
16
Table 3. (continued)
Degree Program:
Undergraduate Program - Agribusiness (AGBS)
The faculty of the department of agricultural and applied economics have delineated the
following plan to collect data documenting the attainment of learning outcomes in a by method
used basis for this degree (appropriate rubrics will be developed for each method used). (1) the
pre/post economic assessment survey; the undergraduate committee will conduct a
representative survey of both entering freshman and graduating seniors to evaluate economic
knowledge enhancement (the survey has already being developed). (2) the AAEC 3100
survey; the instructor of AAEC 3100 will elicit opinions of students with respect to the
relevancy of this degree as a whole and the relevancy of specific courses. (3) the senior exit
interview; as part of this interview the chair will elicit students views with respect to
communication skills, professional training, employment opportunities and overall views about
the program. (4) the AAEC employment survey; in this survey students will be asked for their
opinion about the relevancy of their degree in terms of enabling them to satisfactorily perform
in their position. (5) the CASNR employment survey; this survey asks students about their
ability to obtain a job. In those cases in which a student participates in the internship program,
the internship coordinator will review and evaluate (6) the employer assessment report and (7)
the student’s internship report to further assess the attainment of expected learning outcomes in
this degree. Also, in those cases in which a student participates in the undergraduate research
program, the research advisor will review and evaluate (8) the senior research report further
assess the attainment of expected learning outcomes in this degree. The faculty will review all
the information gathered and discuss the state and possible enhancement of this degree’s
learning outcomes at least once a year at the annual faculty retreat.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
17
Table 3. (continued)
Degree Program:
Economics
Master of Science – Non-Thesis Option in Agricultural and Applied
The faculty of the department of agricultural and applied economics have delineated the
following plan to collect data documenting the attainment of learning outcomes in a by method
used basis for this degree (appropriate rubrics will be developed for each method used). (1)
satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and quantitative methods;
the student’s advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of
evaluating the student’s performance in these two areas. (2) satisfactory performance in
specific applied economic problem solving exercises; instructors of production economics and
econometrics will be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in this area. (3)
satisfactory performance in the final oral defense; the student’s advisor and the other members
of the advisory committee will be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in the final
oral defense - a check list including the attainment of satisfactory performance documenting
the student’s understanding economic concepts and analytical methods, ability to analyze
applied economic problems, and ability to use economic theory and analytic methods to solve
applied economic problems will be elicited during the final oral defense. (4) the ability to find
professional employment; the ability of students to obtain professional employment will be
documented. The faculty will review all the information gathered and discuss the state and
possible enhancement of this degree’s learning outcomes at least once a year at the annual
faculty retreat.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
18
Table 3. (continued)
Degree Program:
Master of Agribusiness
The faculty of the department of agricultural and applied economics have delineated the
following plan to collect data documenting the attainment of learning outcomes in a by method
used basis for this degree (appropriate rubrics will be developed for each method used). (1)
satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and quantitative methods;
the student’s advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of
evaluating the student’s performance in these two areas. (2) satisfactory performance in
specific applied economic problem solving exercises; instructors of production economics and
econometrics will be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in this area. (3)
satisfactory performance in the internship component of the program – the coordinator of the
Master of Agribusiness program along the advisor and the other members of the advisory
committee with input from the internship host will be in charge of evaluating the student’s
performance in the internship component of the program. (4) satisfactory performance in the
final oral defense; the student’s advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will
be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in the final oral defense - a check list
including the attainment of satisfactory performance documenting the student’s understanding
economic concepts and analytical methods, ability to analyze applied economic problems, and
ability to use economic theory and analytic methods to solve applied economic problems will
be elicited during the final oral defense. (5) the ability to find professional employment; the
ability of students to obtain professional employment will be documented. The faculty will
review all the information gathered and discuss the state and possible enhancement of this
degree’s learning outcomes at least once a year at the annual faculty retreat.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
19
Table 3. (continued)
Degree Program:
Economics
Master of Science – Thesis Option in Agricultural and Applied
The faculty of the department of agricultural and applied economics have delineated the
following plan to collect data documenting the attainment of learning outcomes in a by method
used basis for this degree (appropriate rubrics will be developed for each method used). (1)
satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and quantitative methods;
the student’s advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of
evaluating the student’s performance in these two areas. (2) satisfactory performance in
specific applied economic problem solving exercises; instructors of production economics and
econometrics will be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in this area. (3)
satisfactory performance developing and defending a thesis research proposal; the instructor of
research methodology in conjunction with the student’s major advisor and the other members
of the advisory committee will be in charge evaluating the student’s performance. (4) making
a professional/peer-reviewed presentation; the major professor and the other members of the
advisory committee will be in charge of the student’s performing this requirement. (5)
satisfactory performance in the final oral defense; the student’s advisor and the other members
of the advisory committee will be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in the final
oral defense - a check list including the attainment of satisfactory performance documenting
the student’s understanding economic concepts and analytical methods, ability to analyze
applied economic problems, ability to use economic theory and analytic methods to solve
applied economic problems, and soundness of the research conducted will be elicited during
the final oral defense. (6) the ability to find professional employment; the ability of students to
obtain professional employment will be documented. The faculty will review all the
information gathered and discuss the state and possible enhancement of this degree’s learning
outcomes at least once a year at the annual faculty retreat.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
20
Table 3. (continued)
Degree Program:
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural and Applied Economics
The faculty of the department of agricultural and applied economics have delineated the
following plan to collect data documenting the attainment of learning outcomes in a by method
used basis for this degree (appropriate rubrics will be developed for each method used). (1)
satisfactory performance in the core curriculum in economic theory and quantitative methods;
the student’s advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of
evaluating the student’s performance in these two areas. (2) satisfactory performance in
specific applied economic problem solving exercises; instructors of production economics and
econometrics will be in charge of evaluating the student’s performance in this area. (3)
satisfactory performance in the economic theory qualifying examination; the entire faculty
(through the comprehensive examination committee) will determine the student’s performance
in this examination. (4) satisfactory performance developing and defending a dissertation
research proposal; the instructor of research methodology in conjunction with the student’s
major advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge evaluating
the student’s performance. (5) making a peer-reviewed presentation; the major professor and
the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of the student’s performing this
requirement. (6) making a professional presentation; the major professor and the other
members of the advisory committee will be in charge of the student’s performing this
requirement. (7) submission of a peer-reviewed research manuscript for publication; the major
professor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of the student’s
performing this requirement. (8) submission of a research proposal for funding; the major
professor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of the student’s
performing this requirement. (9) satisfactory performance in the final oral defense; the
student’s advisor and the other members of the advisory committee will be in charge of
evaluating the student’s performance in the final oral defense - a check list including the
attainment of satisfactory performance documenting the student’s understanding economic
concepts and analytical methods, ability to analyze applied economic problems, ability to use
economic theory and analytic methods to solve applied economic problems, and soundness of
the research conducted will be elicited during the final oral defense. (10) the ability to find
professional employment; the ability of students to obtain professional employment will be
documented. The faculty will review all the information gathered and discuss the state and
possible enhancement of this degree’s learning outcomes at least once a year at the annual
Agricultural and Applied Economics
21
faculty retreat.
PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT PLAN (9/1/2007)
Table 4.
Degree Title: Undergraduate Program - Agricultural and Applied Economics
(AAEC)
Department: Agricultural and Applied Economics
Purpose of degree program (50 words or less): The AAEC degree program directs students in
the systematic study of how society allocates scarce resources to maximize human welfare. This
degree prepares students with the analytical skills to pursue careers in either the public or private
sector, managing environmental and economic resources in the production, marketing, distribution,
and financial areas of the economy.
Item
LEARNING
OUTCOME
AREA
EXPECTED LEARNING
OUTCOMES
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Development of professional ability
to communicate in written and oral
forms in both individual and team
settings, in addition to effectively
interacting with colleagues in team
assignments.
Mastery of the use of basic
computer-based information systems
to organize, manipulate, analyze, and
present economic data.
Internship Report*
Employer Assessment Report
(Internship)*
Senior Research Paper
Senior Exit Interview
AAEC Employment Survey*
Internship Report*
Employer Assessment Report
(Internship)*
Senior Research Paper
AAEC 3100 Survey
Pre/Post Economic Issues Assessment
Internship Report*
Employer Assessment Report
(Internship)*
Senior Research Paper
AAEC 3100 Survey
Senior Exit Interview
CASNR Employment Survey
AAEC Employment Survey*
AAEC 3100 Survey
1
Communication
2
Technology
3
Disciplinary
Knowledge
Development of ability to use logical
inference and deductive reasoning in
conjunction with economic models
to effectively define and solve
economic problems.
4
Integrated
Learning
•
Mastery of theoretical and
applied economic tools to
prepare for advanced degrees in
economics, law, business
Agricultural and Applied Economics
22
•
administration, and other related
fields.
Acquisition of the professional
skill set necessary to attain
meaningful employment in the
areas of economics, business
management, marketing, and
sales.
* External assessment.
PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT PLAN (9/1/2007)
Table 4 (continued).
Degree Title:
Undergraduate Program - Agribusiness (AGBS)
Department:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Purpose of degree program (50 words or less): The Agribusiness degree program is a joint
program with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and the College of Business
that combines courses in Applied Economics with business courses in Accounting, Marketing,
Management, Finance, and Business Law to provide a strong foundation for careers in the
agribusiness sector.
Item
LEARNING
OUTCOME
AREA
EXPECTED LEARNING
OUTCOMES
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Internship Report*
Employer Assessment Report
(Internship)*
Senior Research Paper
Senior Exit Interview
AAEC Employment Survey*
Internship Report*
Employer Assessment Report
(Internship)*
Senior Research Paper
AAEC 3100 Survey
Pre/Post Economic Issues
Assessment
Internship Report*
Employer Assessment Report
(Internship)*
Senior Research Paper
AAEC 3100 Survey
Senior Exit Interview
CASNR Employment Survey
1
Communication
Development of professional ability to
communicate in written and oral forms
in both individual and team settings, in
addition to effectively interacting with
colleagues in team assignments.
2
Technology
Mastery of the use of basic computerbased information systems to organize,
manipulate, analyze, and present
economic data.
3
Disciplinary
Knowledge
Development of ability to use logical
inference and deductive reasoning in
conjunction with economic/business
models to effectively define and solve
economic/business problems.
4
Integrated
Learning
•
Mastery of theoretical and applied
economic/business tools to prepare
Agricultural and Applied Economics
•
•
for advanced degrees in economics,
law, business administration, and
other related fields.
Acquisition of the professional skill
set necessary to attain meaningful
employment in the areas of
economics, business management,
finance, marketing, and sales.
23
AAEC Employment Survey*
AAEC 3100 Survey
External assessment.
PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT PLAN (9/1/2007)
Table 4 (continued).
Degree Title:
Master of Science – Non-Thesis in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Department:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Purpose of degree program (Limit to approximately 50 words): Students will acquire
advanced skills in economics, including economic theory and the tools of analytic analysis, and
will gain experience in using those tools to analyze applied economic problems.
Item EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1
Demonstrated understanding of economics
concepts and analytic methods
2
Demonstrate the ability to use economics
concepts and analytic methods to analyze
applied economics problems.
3
Demonstrated ability to operate in an
employment position requiring effective
use of economic theory and analytic
methods.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Successful completion of the core
coursework in economic theory and
quantitative methods.
Successful completion of the final oral exam
administered by the advisory committee.
Achievement of acceptable performance
evaluations on specific applied economic
problem solving exercises in the advanced
production economics and econometrics
courses.
Successful completion of the final oral exam
administered by the advisory committee.
Successful placement of students who
actively seek employment in their field within
9 months of graduation.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
24
PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT PLAN (9/1/2007)
Table 4 (continued).
Degree Title:
Master of Agribusiness
Department:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Purpose of degree program (Limit to approximately 50 words): Students will acquire
advanced skills in economics and applied business analysis, including economic and business
theory and the tools of analytic analysis, and will gain experience in using those tools to analyze
applied economic problems by participating in the internship program.
Item EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1
Demonstrated understanding of economics
concepts and analytic methods
2
Demonstrate the ability to use economics
concepts and analytic methods to analyze
applied economics problems.
3
Demonstrated ability to operate in an
employment position requiring effective
use of economic theory and analytic
methods.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Successful completion of the core
coursework in economic theory and
quantitative methods.
Successful completion of the final oral exam
administered by the advisory committee.
Achievement of acceptable performance
evaluations on specific applied economic
problem solving exercises in quantitative
courses.
Successful performance in the internship
program.
Successful completion of the final oral exam
administered by the advisory committee.
Successful placement of students who
actively seek employment in their field within
9 months of graduation.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
25
PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT PLAN (9/1/2007)
Table 4 (continued).
Degree Title:
Economics
Master of Science - Thesis Option in Agricultural and Applied
Department:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Purpose of degree program (Limit to approximately 50 words): Students will acquire
advanced skills in economics, including economic theory and the tools of analytic analysis for
problem solving. With appropriate guidance, the student will be able to generate a researchable
topic and to perform research on an applied economics problem.
Item EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1
Basic facility with economics concepts and
analytic methods
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Successful completion of core coursework in
economic theory and quantitative methods.
2
Ability to
1. Develop a problem statement;
2. Develop a research design; and
3. Complete a topical literature review on a
theoretical or applied economic
research topic.
3
Demonstrate the ability to communicate in
written and oral form on a well defined and
limited scope research topic.
4
Demonstrate personal management and
professional skills to function in an applied
research work environment.
Develop writing, data analysis and
analytical skills for applied economic
subjects.
Successful completion of the Research
Methodology course.
Demonstration of the ability to develop each
portion of a research proposal regardless of
grade as evaluated by the instructor over
several assignments.
Faculty advisory committee approval of
thesis proposal.
Making at least one professional presentation
before graduation.
Making at least one peer-reviewed
presentation before graduation.
Successful completion of the research
proposal defense after taking the Research
Methodology course.
Completion of Applied Economics core
curriculum .
Faculty committee review of proposal and
5
Agricultural and Applied Economics
26
6
7
Demonstrate methodological expertise in an
area of research on a topic defined by the
student and faculty advisor.
Demonstrated ability to operate in a
research-related employment position.
thesis.
Faculty committee review of thesis.
Successful oral defense of thesis.
Successful placement of students who
actively seek employment in their field
within 9 months of graduation.
PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT PLAN (9/1/2007)
Table 4 (continued).
Degree Title:
Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Department:
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Purpose of degree program (Limit to approximately 50 words): Students will acquire
advanced skills in economics, including economic theory and the tools of analytic analysis for
problem solving. The student will be able to generate a researchable topic and to perform
independent research on a theoretical or applied economics subject.
Item EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1
Basic facility with economics concepts and
analytic methods
2
Ability to
1. Develop a problem statement;
2. Develop a research design; and
3. Complete a topical literature review on a
theoretical or applied economic
research topic.
3
Demonstrate the ability to communicate in
written and oral form on a well defined and
limited scope research topic.
4
Demonstrate personal management and
professional skills to function in an applied
research work environment.
5
Develop writing, data analysis and
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
Successful completion of the economic
theory qualifying examination.
Successful completion of the Research
Methodology course.
Demonstration of the ability to develop each
portion of a research proposal regardless of
grade as evaluated by the instructor over
several assignments.
Faculty advisory committee approval of
dissertation proposal.
Making at least one professional presentation
before graduation.
Making at least one peer-reviewed
presentation before graduation.
Submission of at least one peer-reviewed
research manuscript for publication within
the first year after graduation.
Successful completion of the research
proposal defense after taking the Research
Methodology course.
Submission of a research proposal for
funding: alone or with another researcher
during degree program.
Successful completion of Applied Economics
Agricultural and Applied Economics
27
analytical skills for applied economic
subjects.
6
7
core curriculum.
Faculty committee review of proposal and
dissertation.
Demonstrate methodological expertise in an Faculty committee review of dissertation.
area of research on a topic generated by the Successful oral defense of dissertation.
student.
Demonstrated ability to operate in a
Successful placement of students who
research-related employment position.
actively seek employment in their field
within 9 months of graduation.
B. Number and types of degrees awarded
Degrees Awarded - Academic Year (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
Bachelor
50
46
28
42
55
54
Masters
3
6
2
7
4
8
Doctorates
1
0
2
2
2
1
Total Degrees Awarded by Year - Academic Year (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
70
2
4
60
50
1
3
0
6
1
8
2
7
40
2
2
30
20
Agricultural and Applied Economics
10
0
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
28
Comparison of Degrees Aw arded Fall Data
Colorado State University
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
North Dakota State University
Bachelor
Graduates
Int'l Graduates
University of Missouri
Bachelor
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
49
47
47
30
32
4
3
6
10
5
6
6
4
2
0
164
155
173
177
23
19
18
18
0
11
1
4
ABM
22
38
38
28
51
Ag Econ
37
39
21
25
15
Total
59
8
77
4
59
6
53
13
66
4
3
1
3
6
6
68
71
52
41
68
3
4
3
3
5
2
2
0
0
2
25
40
45
46
38
11
4
10
11
5
0
0
11
1
4
50
46
28
42
55
54
3
6
2
7
4
8
1
0
2
2
2
1
Master
Doctoral
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
Virginia Tech
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
Texas Tech
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
AAEC – Degrees Awarded, 2000/01 – 2005/06 (Departmental Official Records)
Program Degrees Awarded
Source: Institutional Research Services
Name of Program
Undergraduate
M.S.
Ph.D.
2000-2001
52
3
1
2001-2002
52
6
0
2002-2003
37
2
2
2003-2004
45
7
2
2004-2005
58
4
2
2005-2006
58
8
1
Our departmental records with respect to the number of degrees awarded by our Department
differ slightly with the data gathered by the Graduate School, especially with respect to the
undergraduate degrees awarded. We feel that the number of degrees awarded by our
department , in relative terms, compares very well to other departments of similar size
(Colorado State University for example). There seems to be some mistakes in the table at the
top of this page, North Dakota State University’s number of degrees awarded data seems to be
the same as the enrollment data in section D below.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
29
Time to Degree in Years (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
7.00
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
Master's
3.67
3.00
2.00
3.29
3.13
2.38
Doctorate
4.50
0.00
3.50
5.75
4.50
3.50
Average years to graduate for all students graduating each year
Agricultural and Applied Economics
30
C. Undergraduate and graduate semester credit hours
Semester Credit Hours - Academic Year (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
Undergraduate
Graduate
00/01
3,770
440
01/02
3,434
543
02/03
3,553
491
03/04
3,924
502
04/05
3,811
643
05/06
4,162
518
AY SCH compared to Budget (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
$140,000
4,500
4,000
$120,000
3,500
$100,000
3,000
$80,000
2,500
2,000
$60,000
1,500
$40,000
1,000
$20,000
500
0
Undergraduate
Graduate
Operating Cost
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
3,770
3,434
3,553
3,924
3,811
4,162
440
543
491
502
643
518
$124,270
$93,329
$89,960
$107,370
$114,019
$96,942
$0
Agricultural and Applied Economics
31
D. Number of majors in the department for the fall semesters
Enrollment by Level - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
250
200
150
100
50
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Bachelor's
120
102
128
157
190
204
Masters
14
12
15
16
16
13
Doctoral
7
10
10
11
12
15
Total Enrollment by Year - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
250
12
16
200
15
13
11
16
150
7
14
100
10
15
10
12
190
204
157
50
0
120
128
102
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Doctoral
7
10
10
11
12
15
Masters
14
12
15
16
16
13
120
102
128
157
190
204
Bachelor's
2006
Agricultural and Applied Economics
32
Comparison of Enrollment Fall Data
Colorado State University
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
Bachelor
162
159
133
125
144
Graduate
38
42
37
35
28
164
155
173
177
23
19
18
18
North Dakota State University
Bachelor
Graduates
Int'l Graduates
University of Missouri
Bachelor
1
ABM
113
148
148
145
Ag Econ
112
88
72
66
47
Total
225
236
220
211
197
17
21
23
21
15
29
19
28
32
34
314
266
240
222
210
14
13
19
17
18
9
8
7
9
8
111/123
110/118
104/112
112/98
104/116
21/18
19/15
14/16
15/7
18/22
5 --- 0
8 --- 5
3 --- 6
5 --- 10
3 --- 2
120
102
128
157
190
14
12
15
16
16
7
10
10
11
12
Master
Doctoral
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
Virginia Tech
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
Texas Tech
Bachelor
Master
Doctoral
150
AAEC – Enrollment, 2000/01 – 2005/06 (Departmental Official Records)
Program Enrollment
Source: Institutional Research Services
Name of Program
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
Undergraduate
M.S.
Ph.D.
245
14
7
230
12
10
259
15
10
269
16
11
282
16
12
301
14
15
Records with respect to enrollment in our programs are quite different from the data gathered
by the Graduate School for this review, especially for the undergraduate program (for example
there is a 111 undergraduate students difference in FY 2005-2006). Our TOTAL enrollment
has SIGNIFCANTLY increased in recent years (our enrollment in the Fall of 2007, this year, is
as follows: 330 undergraduate students, 13 Master students (11 M.S. and 2 Master of
Agribusiness), and 14 Ph.D. students). We have devoted significant amount of faculty
resources and energy toward this end and it is beginning to pay off. We have the second
Agricultural and Applied Economics
33
largest enrollment of any other department in our college and we are in the top one-third
with respect to size when compared with other agricultural economics department in the U.S.
Granted, our overall enrollment in the graduate program has been somewhat flat in recent years
(this has been the national trend in agricultural economics programs due to a very strong job
market for undergraduate students). This was a trend which was observed by the faculty
approximately three years ago. At that time, we started to strategize about a possible course of
action to address this enrollment issue.
After careful consideration of possible alternative courses of action, the faculty decided that the
implementation of the Master of Agribusiness program would be the most viable solution to
increase our graduate enrollment. Thus, we began to work on the development of this program
in the Fall of 2005. The proposal to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board was
finalized early in the Spring of 2006, some early delays were experienced in the approval
process, but it was finally approved for implementation in the Fall of 2006. It is anticipated
that within three years (2010) we will have 12 to 15 students enrolled in the Master of
Agribusiness program. We have developed concise and pointed plans to recruit graduate
students into this program. The Graduate School has been instrumental in providing funding in
support of our recruitment efforts into this program. Overall, we feel that our student
enrollment in all of our programs is adequate and that the areas needing attention are being
decisively addressed. Our goal within the next four to five years is to stabilize enrollment in
our department as follows: approximately 350 students in both of our undergraduates
programs; approximately 20 students in our M.S. (thesis and non-thesis) and M.A. programs;
approximately 15 students in our Master of Agribusiness program; and approximately 15
students in our Ph.D. program. We feel that this load, approximately 350 undergraduate
students and 50 graduate students is a reachable goal with the current level of resources we
have. However, it is felt that space availability (classroom space and office space for graduate
students) is likely to present a serious constraint/problem.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
34
E. Course enrollments over the past six years (enrollment trends by course – all
figures are totals – classes may be offered more than once a year).
Course
AGSC 2300
AGSC 2301
AAEC 2305
AAEC 3100
AAEC 3301
AAEC 3302
AAEC 3304
AAEC 3305
AAEC 3315
AAEC 3316
AAEC 3401
AAEC 4000
AAEC 4100
AAEC 4301
AAEC 4302
AAEC 4303
AAEC 4305
AAEC 4306
AAEC 4309
AAEC 4312
AAEC 4313
AAEC 4315
AAEC 4316
AAEC 4317
AAEC 4320
AAEC 5000
AAEC 5301
AAEC 5302
AAEC 5303
AAEC 5307
AAEC 5308
AAEC 5309
AAEC 5310
AAEC 5312
AAEC 5313
AAEC 5315
AAEC 5316
AAEC 5317
AAEC 5318
AAEC 5320
AAEC 5321
AAEC 6000
2000-2001
142
24
231
63
24
27
80
11
71
90
140
15
48
6
77
25
47
53
19
27
2001-2002
133
44
242
2002-2003
140
49
297
2003-2004
113
96
295
62
76
77
81
68
79
39
121
11
2004-2005
74
81
258
103
74
83
94
63
94
2005-2006
68
87
248
102
71
89
108
70
116
38
69
77
55
19
44
47
39
60
70
11
75
66
104
12
46
4
57
34
52
42
6
23
8
49
30
56
45
119
13
117
5
2
79
43
46
40
5
52
48
31
35
5
67
57
45
47
22
24
44
55
40
22
21
35
45
66
44
37
22
42
43
74
17
4
8
12
15
3
10
12
17
1
6
10
2
6
2
11
14
13
14
4
12
6
6
6
7
6
1
1
3
8
5
9
9
7
8
3
7
6
5
1
5
2
6
6
29
6
19
1
8
3
6
3
13
47
1
8
27
1
6
33
66
65
118
7
43
5
82
32
34
34
14
10
39
28
59
45
NEW
3
1
7
8
NEW
2
32
Agricultural and Applied Economics
35
AAEC 6301
AAEC 6302
AAEC 6305
AAEC 6308
AAEC 6310
AAEC 6311
AAEC 7000
AAEC 7200
AAEC 8000
5
2
1
4
14
7
13
1
11
3
6
4
6
11
10
3
24
15
7
25
23
15
5
9
5
15
3
23
4
12
2
28
F. Inventory of courses in AAEC (we currently do not have any cross listed
courses). However we do have few “piggy back” courses. These include:
Cross Listed Courses
AGSC 2301 AAEC 5313
AAEC 4303
5315
AAEC 4316
5318
AAEC 4317
5317
AAEC 4320
5320
AAEC 6302
5302
AAEC 6308
5308
The courses we offer include (the syllabus of all courses are included in Appendix B):
2000 Level Courses
AGSC 2300. [AGRI 1309] Computers in Agriculture (3:2:2). Introduction to information technology in
agricultural applications. Includes applications in spreadsheet data analysis, word processing, and
database management. F, S.
AGSC 2301. Computers in Agriculture II (3:2:2). Prerequisite AGSC 2300 or satisfactory
performance on placement exam. Introduction to database management applications, extended
application of spreadsheet software, and networked systems. F, S.
2305. [AGRI 2317] Fundamentals of Agricultural and Applied Economics (3:3:0). Fundamental
economic principles and their application to problems and issues in the food, fiber, and natural resource
sectors of the economy. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior
requirement. F, S, SS.
3000 Level Courses
3100. Seminar (1:1:0). Prerequisite: Junior standing. Assigned readings, informal discussion, outside
speakers, and written and oral reports on subjects relating to agricultural and applied economics. F, S.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
36
3301. Agribusiness Marketing (3:2:3). Prerequisite: AAEC 2305 and ENGL 1302. Marketing of raw
materials and processed products from the management perspective. Market structure, conduct,
performance. Marketing channels. F, S. (Writing Intensive)
3302. Agribusiness Finance (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 2305 and MATH 1320 or 1330. Basic
principles of finance emphasizing the mathematics of finance, credit, and financial analysis. F, S.
3303. Cooperatives (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3301. Organization and operation of agricultural and
other cooperatives. S or by correspondence. (Writing Intensive)
3304. Farm and Ranch Business Management (3:2:3). Prerequisite: AAEC 2305 or equivalent.
Organization and management of the individual small business including farms, ranches, input
suppliers, commodity processors, etc. F, S.
3305. Introduction to Sales (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Principles and methods used
in professional selling for the business environment. Includes concepts of human behavior and
professional selling techniques. F, S.
3315. Agricultural Price Theory (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 2305, MATH 1331, and junior standing.
Basic economic principles with applications to agricultural pricing problems and resource allocations. F,
S, SS.
3401. Agricultural Statistics (4:3:3). Prerequisite: College algebra or higher mathematics. Principles
and procedures involved in the analysis of agricultural data including indices of central tendency and
dispersion; probability; sampling; significance tests; analysis of variance; and simple linear correlation.
Fulfills Core Mathematics requirement. F, S, SS.
4000 Level Courses
4000. Internship in Agricultural and Applied Economics (V1-12). Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
and approval. Supervised study providing in-service training and practice in business and
organizations. F, S, SS.
4101. Current Problems in Agricultural and Applied Economics (1). Prerequisite: Senior standing.
Topics may vary. May be repeated twice for credit. F, S, SS.
4301. Special Problems in Applied Economic Analysis (3). Prerequisite: AGSC 4300 or approval.
Individual instruction in analysis of a research problem. May be repeated with the approval of the
department. S. (Writing Intensive)
4302. Statistical Methods in Agricultural Research (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3401 and MATH
1331. Advanced agricultural statistical analysis related to research methods using probability theory;
tests of statistical significance; multiple correlation and regression; analysis of covariance; and
experimental design. S, SS.
4303. Property Appraisal (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 2305 and sophomore English or ENGL 2311.
Factors governing property prices and valuation. Appraisal of property for use, sale, and other
purposes. F. (Writing Intensive)
Agricultural and Applied Economics
37
4305. Agricultural and Public Policy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3315. Historical development and
economic analysis of public programs and policies affecting the food and fiber sector and the
environment. F. (Writing Intensive)
4306. International Agricultural Trade (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Junior standing and AAEC 3315.
Economic principles of interregional and international trade, location, and inter-area competition in
products and services. S. (Writing Intensive)
4309. Sustaining Global Ecology, Natural Resources and Economy (3:3:0). Prerequisites: MATH
1330 or equivalent; recommend one BIOL or ECO course. Challenges to global markets and
environment across diverse systems and histories.
4312. Applied Optimization Methods (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3315 or equivalent. Study of
techniques applicable to economic optimization problems, including mathematical optimization and
linear programming. Emphasis on problem solving. F.
4313. Natural Resource Economics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3315 and junior standing. Economics
of natural resource use and allocation including land economics, economics of water development, and
environmental economics. S. (Writing Intensive)
4315. Agribusiness Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3315 and 3401. Case studies
emphasizing managerial techniques applied to decision-making problems of business firms. F. (Writing
Intensive)
4316. Agricultural Financial Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3302 or FIN 3320. Principles and
procedures in managing financial and credit resources; nature, purposes, and use of financial
statements, budgets, and credit instruments; and criteria for decision making in borrowing and lending.
S.
4317. Commodity Futures Trading and Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Junior standing and AAEC
2305. History and characteristics of commodity futures markets, hedging and speculation, and use of
futures as a management tool. F, S.
4320. Agribusiness Law (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 2305 and junior standing. Federal regulatory
programs, market orders, Packers and Stockyards Act, bankruptcy. Administrative, environmental,
antitrust law, Uniform Commercial Code, in an agribusiness context. F.
5000 Level Courses
5000. Professional Internship (V1-6). Supervised study providing in-service training and practice in a
professional setting, including businesses and non-profits.
5301. Special Study in Agricultural and Applied Economics (3). Individual and group study in
advanced topics not covered in other graduate courses. May be repeated for credit. F, S, SS.
5302. Food and Agriculture Sector Public Policy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 4305. Analysis of
public policies affecting the food and fiber sector; commodity programs, environmental laws, and trade
policy. F.
5303. Advanced Production Economics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3315. Criteria for resource use
optimality under price and yield certainty and uncertainty. F.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
38
5307. Applied Econometrics I (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 4302. Advanced statistical methods,
including multiple regression analysis, for applied economic problems; constructing econometric
models; multicollinearity, autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, and related problems. F.
5308. Natural Resource Economics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ECO 5312 or consent of instructor.
Economic theory and empirical investigations of resource utilization with special emphasis on arid and
semi-arid land areas and environmental issues. F.
5309. International Economic Development in Food and Fiber Sectors (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC
3315. World food and development issues; economic development of the food and fiber sector in
industrialized and developing economies. F.
5310. Advanced Market Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ECO 5312 and AAEC 5307. Theoretical and
empirical approaches to market structures and market price behavior. S.
5312. Agribusiness Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3315. Application of economic theory and
methods to management problems of the business firms in the food and fiber sector. F.
5313. Microcomputer Applications in Agribusiness and Research (3:2:2). Use of microcomputers,
software, and design of software for agricultural business and research purposes. Not open to majors.
F, S.
5314. Environmental Economics and Policy Analysis (3:3:0). Familiarize students with economic
techniques and their use in analyzing natural resources and environmental policy issues. For nonmajors only.
5315. Property Appraisal (3:3:0). Factors governing land prices, valuation. Appraisal for use, sale,
lending, condemnation, estate settlement, taxation. Not open to students with AAEC 4303 or
equivalent. F.
5316. International Agricultural Trade (3:3:0). Economic theory dealing with the international
movement of goods, services, and capital; welfare and distributional aspects of trade; and policy issues
in international agricultural trade. S.
5317. Financial and Commodity Futures and Options (3:3:0). Mechanics of futures trading, history
and functions of futures market. Role of futures and options markets in managing risks. Not open to
students with AAEC 4317 or equivalent. F, S.
5318. Finance and the Agribusiness Sector (3:3:0). Prerequisite: FIN 5320. Applications of financial
theory for the agribusiness sector. Risk, capital structure, business structure, investment analysis. S.
5320. Agribusiness Law (3:3:0). Federal regulatory programs, market orders, bankruptcy.
Administrative, environmental, antitrust law, Uniform Commercial Code in agricultural context. Not open
to students with AAEC 4320 or equivalent. F.
5321. Research Methodology in Economics (3:3:0). Review of philosophical and conceptual basis of
economic research and study of the procedural aspects of designing, planning, and conducting
research in economics. S.
5393. Economics and Policies of the Global Cotton/Textile Complex (3:3:0). Development and
current state of production, processing, and marketing; impacts of government policies; alternative
competitive structures of cotton and textile industries and impacts on performance.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
39
6000 Level Courses
6000. Master’s Thesis (V1-6).
6301. Advanced Special Problems in Agricultural and Applied Economics (3). Individual study in
advanced topics not covered in other graduate courses. F, S, SS.
6302. Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Policy Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 4305.
Analysis of policies, programs affecting food, agricultural commodities, trade, and natural resources.
Includes policies in the U.S. and other countries. F.
6305. Economic Optimization (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 5303. Development and use of
mathematical economic models emphasizing static and stochastic linear, nonlinear and dynamic
processes. F.
6308. Advanced Natural Resource Economics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ECO 5312. Advanced economic
theory and analysis of environmental and natural resource issues, both domestic and global. F.
6310. Demand and Price Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ECO 5312. Applied price and demand
analysis including complete demand systems and hedonic-characteristic price analysis. S.
6311. Applied Econometrics II (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 5307. Methods and applications of single
and multi-equation models in agricultural economics; logit and probit models, nonstructural models and
related methods. S.
7000 Level Courses
7000. Research (V1-12).
7200. Teaching Practicum (2:3:0). Prerequisite: Doctoral student in the program and previous or
concurrent enrollment in a higher education teaching methods course. Supervised teaching at the
university level.
8000 Level Courses
8000. Doctor’s Dissertation (V1-12).
Agricultural and Applied Economics
40
Student Interns – Agricultural and Applied Economics
Fall 2000 (2): Andrew Boyd, National Association of Grain Sorghum Producers, Lubbock,
Texas; and Blair Lang, Plains National Bank - Financial, Lubbock, Texas.
Spring 2001 (3):
Lauri Vaughn, U.S. Congress - House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.; Jana Howe, U.S. Congress - Charles Stenholm, Washington, D.C.; and
Brandon Lipps, U.S. Congress - Lamar Smith, Washington, D.C.
Summer 2001 (6): Carmen Haworth, U.S. Congress - House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.; Katie Yates, Monsanto, Memphis, Tennessee; Joshua Burris, Pioneer
Hybrid Seed Co., Garden City, Kansas; Russ Hodges, TTU Crop Physiology, Lubbock, Texas;
Andrew McMurry, First National Bank of Abilene, Abilene, Texas; and Shane Tomlin, Roscoe
State Bank, Roscoe, Texas.
Fall 2001 (1): Michelle Fisher, U.S. Senate - Kay Bailey Hutchison, Washington, D.C.
Spring 2002 (2): Heidi Adams, U.S. Senate - Pete Domenici, Washington, D.C., Matthew S.
Schertz, U.S. Congress - House Committee on Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Summer 2002 (5): Casey Barrett, State National Bank, Lubbock, Texas; Bryan Benson,
Monsanto, Memphis, Tennessee; Brent Carson, U.S. Congress - Kevin Brady, Washington,
D.C.; Ginger Sides, U.S. Senate - Kay Bailey Hutchison, Washington, D.C.: and Ollie
Williams, Ranch Real Estate, San Angelo, Texas.
Spring 2003 (3): Dustin Miller, TTU - Agricultural and Applied Economics, Lubbock, Texas;
Candence Royal, U.S. Congress - Lamar Smith, Washington, D.C.; and Katherine Baggerman,
State House of Representatives - David Swinford, Austin, Texas.
Summer 2003 (3): Jeffrey Graham, Forbes Show Cattle, Tahoka, Texas; M. Joseph Collins,
Archer, Daniels & Midland Co., Lubbock, Texas; and Jessica Price, U.S. Senate - John Cornyn,
Washington, D.C.
Fall 2003 (4): Richard B. Moore, U.S. Congress - Charles Stenholm, Washington, D.C.; M.
Joseph Collins, Archer, Daniels & Midland Co., Lubbock, Texas; Stacy Hinderliter, National
Grain Sorghum Producers Association, Lubbock, Texas; and Kayla Hines, Ag. Texas - Farm
Credit Services, Lubbock, Texas.
Spring 2004 (4): Craig T. Harman, National Grain Sorghum Producers Association, Lubbock,
Texas; Kayla Hines, Ag. Texas - Farm Credit Services, Lubbock, Texas; Brian C. Lehrmann,
U.S. Congress - Kay Granger, Washington, D.C.; and Charles E. Wilson, U.S. Congress Randy Naeugebauer, Washington, D.C.
Summer 2004 (2): Audrey Hensley, Rousseau Farming Company, Tolleson, Arizona; and Sarah
Blessing, Agri-Search, Inc., Plainview, Texas.
Fall 2004 (1): Alyssa Irlbeck, Morgan Stanley, Lubbock, Texas.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
41
Spring 2005 (3): Scott Graves, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Washington, D.C.;
Daniel C. Hardin, Berry Ranch, Eunice, New Mexico; and Kyle Kight, Iden Farms, Bigh
Spring, Texas.
Summer 2005 (7): Andrew D. Carthel, Texas Cooperative Extension - IPM Internship Program,
Farwell, Texas; Chris E. Cogburn, National Grain Sorghum Producers Association, Lubbock,
Texas; Kinsey L. Cumba, First National Bank of Baird, Baird, Texas; Weston D. Harding,
REMAX Real State, Lubbock, Texas; Joshua T. Kute, AIRTITE Window Manufacturing,
Abilene, Texas; Tobin C. Ellison, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Washington, D.C.;
and Brett J. Schniers, Twin Farms, Inc., San Angelo, Texas.
Fall 2005 (2): Tobin Ellison, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Washington, D.C.; and
Jessica Neitsch, U.S. Congress - Mike Conaway.
Spring 2006 (2): Aaron Pembleton, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Washington,.DC;
Donna Mitchell, U.S. Congress – Mike Conaway, Washington, DC.
Summer 2006(1): Brandon Graf, Mark Scott Crop Consulting, Lubbock, Texas.
Fall 2006(1): Mark Peabody, Pro Chem Sales, Lubbock, Texas.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
42
III. Faculty
A. Number, rank, and demographics of the graduate faculty
Teaching Resources (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Tenured/Tenure Track faculty
10
13
12
12
14
14
Non-tenure track faculty
3
3
4
3
2
2
GPTI
0
0
0
0
0
0
TA's
3
2
2
1
2
3
Tenured and Tenure-Track by Rank - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Horn Professor
Professor
Associate Professor
Assistant Professor
2001
0
2
4
4
2002
0
3
4
6
2003
0
4
2
6
2004
0
4
3
5
2005
0
4
5
5
2006
0
4
5
5
Agricultural and Applied Economics
43
Comparison of Full-time Faculty
Colorado State University
Tenure/Tenure Track
Non-tenure track
TA's
North Dakota State University
Tenure/Tenure Track
Non-tenure track
TA's
University of Missouri
Tenure/Tenure Track
Non-tenure track
TA's
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Tenure/Tenure Track
Non-tenure track
TA's
Virginia Tech
Tenure/Tenure Track
Non-tenure track
TA's
Texas Tech
Tenure/Tenure Track
Non-tenure track
GPTI's
TA's
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
06/07
17
18
15
15
13
4
3
2
1
5
2
2
2
2
5
19
18
17
19
19
19
7
7
3
5
5
6
17
19
21
19
19
20
9
8
7
9
9
10
24
25
24
21
23
20
2
2
2
3
3
2
22
19
18
15
14
22
2
1
1
1
2
2
22
22.33
21
20
25
30
10
13
12
12
14
14
3
3
4
3
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
2
2
1
2
3
Agricultural and Applied Economics
44
B. List of faculty members in AAEC in the last six years
APPT
YEAR
1981 –
Present
1981 –
2001
1985 –
2001
1987 –
Present
1987 –
Present
1990 –
Present
1993 –
Present
1993 –
Present
1993 –
2007
1994 –
Present
1998 –
2003
1999 –
2006
1999 –
Present
1999 –
2000
2000 –
2001
2000 –
Present
2001 –
Present
2001 –
Present
2002 –
2006
2002 –
Present
2002 –
2007
2005 –
Present
2005 –
Present
2006 –
Present
2007 –
Present
FACULTY NAME
POSITION
Don E. Ethridge (Chair,
1997-2005)
W. Kary Mathis (Chair,
1981-1996)
R. Terry Ervin
Professor
Grad
Faculty?
Y or N
Y
Professor
Y
Associate
Professor
Associate
Professor
Professor
Y
Adjunct
Professor
Professor
Y
Adjunct
Professor
Adjunct
Professor
Professor
Y
Associate
Professor
Associate
Professor
Adjunct
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Associate
Professor
Associate
Professor
Associate
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Professor
Y
Assistant
Professor
Associate
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Assistant
Professor
Y
Emmett W. Elam
Eduardo Segarra (Chair,
2005-present)
Jackie Smith
Sukant K. Misra
Dean Ethridge
Wyatte Harman
Phillip N. Johnson
Octavio A. Ramirez
David Willis
Ronald Phillips
Michael Livingston
Heather Greer
Samarendu Mohanty
Conrad Lyford
Jaime Malaga
Vernon Lansford
Thomas O. Knight
Roderick Rejesus
Michael Farmer
Jeff Johnson
Benaissa Chidmi
Chenggang Wang
Open Position
Open Position
TOTAL FTE
AVAILABLE
TEACHING
EFFORT (%)
RESEARCH
EFFORT (%)
OUTREACH
EFFORT (%)
50
15
10
ADMIN
EFFORT
(%)
25
Y
50
15
10
25
Y
25
15
10
50
25
15
10
50
50
30
10
10
Y
40
40
10
10
Y
40
40
10
10
Y
40
50
10
30
35
10
Y
40
25
10
Y
20
20
10
Y
60
30
10
Y
30
35
10
Y
45
45
10
Y
45
45
10
5.90
4.55
1.50
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Agricultural and Applied Economics
25
25
2.30
45
As indicated by the information provided above, in AAEC we have 15 faculty positions but
once you discount the portions of the appointments of the faculty members who’s
appointments are split with other units (Farmer has a 25% appointment with NRM, and Jeff
Johnson and Wang have 25% appointments with the experiment station) we end up with 14.25
overall FTEs available to the department. It is important to highlight here that given the fact
that we are in the middle of hiring two new junior faculty members this Fall 2007, this implies
that in a little over two years we have hired 6 new faculty members in our department. This is
quite significant given the fact that this number of faculty members represents over one-third
of the entire faculty. This happening presents both, challenges and opportunities. In the one
hand, the recent level of faculty turnover represents a challenge because we must ensure in the
short-run a continued high level of reliability, accountability, and quality of our teaching,
research and service programs which with a larger proportion of junior faculty in our faculty
ranks places a greater strain on the more senior members of our faculty. On the other hand,
however, the recent level of faculty turnover represents an opportunity because of the high
level of energy and quality, and strong commitment to all of our programs demonstrated by all
the new members of the faculty. The future for AAEC truly looks bright. We feel that we
have a superb set of academic programs which are quite significant to the professional
formation of our students (undergraduate and graduate), we have strong - highly visible - and widely recognized set of research programs which are well focused, and continue to make
significant and sincerely appreciated service and outreach contributions in the academic and
non-academic arenas at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels.
C. Summary of the number of referred publications and creative activities
Publication Type
Referred Articles
Books/Book Chapters
Technical Reports
Proceedings papers
2001
N=10
F=10
16
0
19
18
2002
N=13
F=13
23
7
14
12
2003
N= 12
F=12
19
1
13
23
2004
N=12
F=12
16
1
7
16
2005
N= 13
F=14
21
5
16
11
2006
N= 14
F=15
27
2
11
11
Referred Abstracts
Other Presentations
26
8
8
4
11
13
5
16
10
33
7
32
Agricultural and Applied Economics
46
N = # of full time faculty contributing
F = # of full time faculty in department
As pointed out earlier, Appendix G contains copies of the last six departmental Annual
Research Reports which document all the particulars with respect to all the publications
published by the entire department in an annual basis. Also, it is important to point out that we
are in the process of filling two faculty positions. Thus, we have been at least one faculty
member down for well over a year. The level of productivity demonstrated by both, the
quality and quantity of varied publications published by the department in the last six years is
above the norm in our profession. Note, that the level of published output produced by the
faculty listed above was possible with ONLY 4.55 research FTEs available in the department.
D. Responsibilities and leadership in professional societies, other outreach activities and
awards received, and graduate student advising (please see Appendix F for documentation of
specific accomplishments of individual faculty members).
2001
N=10
F=10
2002
N= 13
F=13
Professional Leadership
Service in Federal/State/
Regional review panels
5
Executive Board or Officer in
National Organizations
3
Professional Committees in
National Organizations
5
Conferences Offered and
Conducted
2
2
Invited presentations
6
Submitted presentations
46
52
Teaching Awards Received
2
Research Awards Received
1
Service Awards Received
2
N = # of full time faculty contributing
2003
N= 12
F=12
2004
N=12
F=12
2005
N=13
F=14
2006
N=14
F=15
0
2
3
5
4
4
4
5
2
4
5
14
3
4
4
5
0
11
12
14
20
47
37
54
0
2
5
3
2
1
1
3
9
1
1
1
F = # of full time faculty in department
The level of participation of AAEC faculty in professional societies and other outreach
activities (note that faculty committee participation is not listed in the table above, but is
documented in Appendix F) is truly commendable considering that ONLY 1.50 FTEs are
available for this type of activities/commitments.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
47
Faculty Name
Chidmi, Benaissa
Elam, Emmett
Ethridge, Don E.
Ethridge, Dean (adjunct)
Farmer, Michael
Johnson, Jeffrey
Johnson, Phillip
Knight, Tomas
Lyford, Conrad
Malaga, Jaime
Misra, Sukant
Mohanty, Samarendu
Phillips, Ronald (adjunct)
Segarra, Eduardo
Smith, Jackie (adjunct)
Committees
Served in
department
MS
PhD
Committees
Chaired
MS
PhD
5
1
1
4
2
3
6
3
1
5
1
Committees
Served outside
department
MS
PhD
1
6
5
1
2
2
4
1
1
2
1
4
6
1
2
2
4
3
5
5
3
2
2
3
3
2
5
1
8
5
2
4
1
1
1
1
3
5
8
3
6
5
2
AAEC faculty also was active serving as the Graduate School Representative at Ph.D.
Dissertation Defenses across the University. Overall, AAEC faculty served as
Graduate Scholl Representative at 13 Dissertation defenses in the last six years
(individual faculty members serving in this capacity were: Elam, 4 times; Don
Ethridge, 2 times; Farmer, 1 time; Jeffrey Johnson, 2 times; Knight, 1 time; Mohanty, 1
time; and Segarra, 2 times). Please see Appendix F for documentation of the particular
accomplishments of individual faculty members regarding graduate student program
Agricultural and Applied Economics
48
participation (names of students, title of thesis/dissertation/departments faculty
worked with, etc.). Also, it is relevant to point out here that in AAEC every faculty
member participates in advising activities of undergraduate students in an on-going
basis (every faculty member advised a minimum of 25 undergraduate students in an ongoing basis).
E. Assess average faculty productivity for Fall semesters only (use discipline
appropriate criteria to determine)
POLICY FACULTY WORKLOAD (per FTE)
Department
2001
2002
2003
18.13
12.91 14.78
2004
2005
2006
14.19 15.20 16.97
Overall, Policy Faculty Workload (PFW) per FTE in AAEC has been slightly below the
average for CASNR, but has been in line (in fact it has been slightly above) with the norm for
the university as a whole. It is important to note that the reason why PFW per FTE in AAEC
decreased from 2001 to 2002 was due to the increase in FTE in 2002. As shown by the data
listed above, PFW per FTE has shown a positive trend since 2002. It is anticipated that with
the expected increase in enrollment in the Master of Agribusiness program and enhanced
efforts to increase overall enrollment in our other graduate programs and the undergraduate
programs, PFW per FTE will be improved further in the future. It is important to highlight
here that the faculty in AAEC has overall been very productive in the last six years. All of our
academic programs are strong and well recognized nationally (and the placement of all of our
students who have graduated has been very good). Our research contributions are highly and
widely recognized at the local, state, regional, national and international levels (please see
Appendix G for specific accomplishments contained in the annual research reports). The
AAEC faculty has published an average of over 20 refereed journal articles per year in the last
six years (almost 1.5 refereed articles per faculty member) and published many other pieces in
varied and significant outlets which have brought recognition to our department, CASNR and
Texas Tech University. Our ability to raise research funds in support of our research programs
have been quite successful and have improved over time (average research expenditures of
Agricultural and Applied Economics
49
$1.56 million per year in the last six years which has been equivalent to over $100,000 per
year per faculty member). Our service and outreach contributions encompass the entire
spectrum from local sponsorship of workshops and conferences to the support of local
producer and professional organizations in varied capacities. All these figures are truly
magnified when it is realized the degree of synchronization and efficiency required to
accomplish all the things we have accomplished with the faculty resources we have at our
disposal (14.25 overall FTEs available in the department; 5.90 FTEs for teaching; 4.55
FTEs for research; and 1.50 FTEs for outreach).
College SCH/FTE - Fall Data
Source: Institutional Research Services
205
200
195
190
185
180
175
170
165
160
SCH/FTE for total faculty
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
195
196
199
176
173
181
Department SCH/FTE - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
180
160
140
120
Agricultural and Applied Economics
100
80
60
50
IV. Graduate Students
A. Demographics of applicants and enrolled students
Graduate Student Summary by Category - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Total Applicants
Total Admitted
New Grad Students
2001
14
8
6
Students Graduated
4
2002
23
10
6
6
2003
39
18
6
4
2004
19
11
9
9
2005
27
10
6
6
2006
26
14
8
9
Agricultural and Applied Economics
51
Graduate Student Summary by Year - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
14
23
39
19
27
26
Total Admitted
8
10
18
11
10
14
New Grad Students
6
6
6
9
6
8
Students Graduated
4
6
4
9
6
9
Total Applicants
Graduate Applicants by Region - Fall/Summer Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
25
20
15
10
5
0
Blank Code
TX
USA
5
2
INT'L
2001
0
7
2002
2
5
0
16
2003
5
10
1
22
2004
2
8
2
7
2005
0
9
4
14
2006
2
8
3
13
Agricultural and Applied Economics
52
Graduate Applicants - Fall Data
2001
F
0
0
0
0
4
0
2
Amer Ind
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Non-Resident
Unknown
W hite
Gender Total
M
6
0
0
0
0
4
0
4
8
2002
F
0
0
0
0
7
0
2
F
0
0
0
0
9
0
5
9
14
Total Applicants
2003
M
14
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Non-Resident
Unknown
W hite
Gender Total
M
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
Amer Ind
4
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
4
F
14
0
0
0
0
15
1
9
25
F
0
0
0
0
3
0
4
7
0
0
0
0
2
1
4
10
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Amer Ind
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Non-Resident
Unknown
W hite
Gender Total
Total Enrolled
M
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
4
6
F
0
0
0
0
6
0
5
11
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
F
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
4
6
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
9
0
0
0
0
2
0
4
12
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
5
7
0
0
1
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
4
0
1
0
1
2
1
2
0
0
1
0
2
1
3
7
14
2006
M
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
M
7
2005
F
0
2
1
0
4
1
6
14
F
10
M
9
0
2
0
1
2
2
5
2006
M
3
M
26
2005
2004
5
0
1
2
1
7
1
6
18
F
6
F
F
27
M
5
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
4
6
13
2006
M
0
0
0
0
3
2
4
11
M
2
0
0
0
0
7
0
6
0
0
1
0
1
0
3
18
M
2
6
F
Enrolled New Graduate Students - Fall Data
2001
2002
2003
F
0
0
1
0
1
0
4
F
2004
M
7
2005
M
19
2003
M
3
F
39
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
8
Total Admitted
0
0
0
0
7
1
6
23
Admitted Graduate Students - Fall Data
2001
2002
F
2004
M
F
0
0
1
0
1
0
2
4
6
Agricultural and Applied Economics
M
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
1
0
3
1
1
6
8
53
Demographics of Enrolled Graduate Students - Fall Data
2001
2002
2003
2004
F
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
Amer Ind
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Non-Resident
Unknown
W hite
Gender Total
M
4
0
0
0
1
8
0
8
17
F
M
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
4
0
0
0
1
8
0
9
18
21
Graduate
F
M
0
0
0
0
3
0
3
6
22
F
0
0
0
1
9
0
9
19
M
0
0
1
0
4
0
5
10
25
2005
F
0
0
0
0
7
0
10
17
M
0
0
1
0
4
1
6
12
27
2006
F
0
0
1
0
6
0
9
16
Amer Ind
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Non-Resident
Unknown
W hite
Gender Total
Undergraduate
M
0
0
0
1
1
0
24
1 0
1 0
0 0
1 2
0 1
0 0
91 16
26
F
94 19
120
M
F
M
F
1
1
0
4
0
1
76
0
0
1
1
1
1
16
1
1
0
6
1
1
98
0
1
0
1
1
2
1
4
0
1
0
1
19 126
83
102
0
1
1
0
2
2
5
11
28
M
F
0
0
1
1
8
1
6
17
28
Demographics of Enrolled Undergraduate Students - Fall Data
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
F
M
M
1
1
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
1
0
1
22 160
2006
F
M
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
28 169
20 108 21 136 23 167 30 174
128
157
190
Agricultural and Applied Economics
204
54
B. Test scores (GRE, GMAT and/or TOEFL) of enrolled students
Average GRE Scores for Enrolled Graduate Students Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Verbal
385
394
432
470
392
389
Quantitative
520
592
637
690
615
596
Agricultural and Applied Economics
55
C. GPA of new students
New Graduate Students GPA by Level - Fall Data (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Masters
3.25
3.75
3.17
3.52
3.45
3.18
Doctoral
3.33
3.00
3.56
4.00
3.67
0.00
D. Initial position and place of employment of graduates over the past 6 years
NAME
DEGREE
INITIAL POSITION
Floeck, Hope
M. Ag
May-00
Breed Love, Lubbock
SoRelle, Jeffrey
M.S.-thesis
May-00
Research Assoc., Texas Tech Univ.
Dunn, Toby
M.S.-non-thesis
Aug-00
Family Farm
Field, Jim Ed
M.S.-thesis
Aug-00
First Ag. Credit, Lubbock
Wei, Jingwei
M.S.-thesis
Dec-00
Ph.D. Study, Texas Tech Univ.
Yu, Man
Ph.D.
Dec-00
Asst. Prof., Tarleton State Univ.
Hoelscher, Kevin
M.S.-thesis
May-01
American Express, Phoenix
Nelson, Jeannie
M.S.-thesis
Aug-01
Law School, Texas Tech Univ.
Blackshear, Jason
M.S.-thesis
Dec-01
Ph.D. Study, Texas Tech Univ.
Adari, Johnson
M.Ag.
Dec-01
Ph.D. Study, Texas Tech Univ.
Jacobson, Heather
M.S./J.D.
May-02
Law practice, Casper, Wyo.
Mutai, Ronald
M.S.-thesis
May-02
Nordstrom's, Cedar Rapids, IA
Agricultural and Applied Economics
56
Carpio, Carlos
M.S.-thesis
May-02
Ph.D. Study, N.C. State University
Denning, Megan
M.S.-thesis
Dec-02
Pioneer, Des Moines, IA
Ward, Jason
M.S.-thesis
Dec-02
Staple cotton, Greenwood, MS
Watson, Susan
Ph.D.
Dec-02
Asst. Prof, U. of LA at Monroe
White, Steven R.
M.Ag.
May-03
Ph.D. Study, Texas A&M University
Fadiga, Mohamadou
Ph.D.
Aug-03
Post-Doc, Texas Tech Univ.
Gao, Xiaoping (David)
M.S.-non-thesis
Aug-03
Johnson, Jeffrey
Ph.D.
Dec-03
Dir, Farm Operations, Texas Tech Univ.
Lopez, Enrique
MS-thesis
Dec-03
Central Bank of Nicaragua
Musunuru, Naveen
Ph.D.
Dec-03
Asst. Prof., U of LA at Monroe
Li, Hongyuan
MS-thesis
Dec-03
Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Renteria, Rolando
MS-thesis
Dec-03
Cargill, Kansas City, KS
Youngblood, Jay
MS-thesis
Dec-03
Security Bank, Idalou, TX
Howell, Deidra
MS-thesis
May-04
No Data Available
Lopez, Antonio
MS-thesis
May-04
Ave Maria Univ., Nicaragua
Vado, Ligia
MS-thesis
May-04
Research Associate, Texas Tech Univ.
Gregory, Gary
M.S.-non-thesis
Dec-04
No Data Available
Das, Biswaranjan
Ph.D.
Dec-04
Post-Doc, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Cheuvront, Jevon
M.S.-non-thesis
May-05
Family Farm
Chaudhary, Jagada
Ph.D.
Aug-05
American Express, Phoenix, AZ
Peabody, Phil
MS-thesis
Aug-05
Farm Credit Assoc., Abilene, TX
Wheeler, Erin
MS-thesis
Aug-05
Ph.D. Study, Texas Tech Univ.
Baker, Justin
MS-thesis
Dec-05
Ph.D. Study, Texas A&M University
Dudensing, Jeffrey
MS-thesis
Dec-05
U.S. Army
Lawas, Catherine
MS-thesis
Dec-05
AIG Corp., Amarillo, TX
Martin, Rebecca
MS-thesis
Dec-05
Ph.D. Study, Clemson University
Rodriguez, Divinia
MS-thesis
May-06
International Rice Res. Inst. (IRRI), Philippines
Weinheimer, Justin
MS-thesis
May-06
Ph.D. Study, Texas Tech University
Gillespie, Robert
M.Ag.
Aug-06
Crop Quest, Dodge City, KS
Sides, Ginger
MS-thesis
Aug-06
No Data Available
Agricultural and Applied Economics
57
Welch, Mark
Ph.D.
Aug-06
Post-Doc, Texas Tech University
Clark, Georgia
MS-thesis
Dec-06
Research Associate, Texas A&M University
Kulkarni, Raghu
Ph.D.
Dec-06
HSBC Consumer Lending, Chicago, IL
Street, Dustin
M.Ag.
Dec-06
ADM - Oil Mill, Lubbock, TX
Felderhoff, Chad
MS-thesis
May-07
ConAgra Foods
Jung, SangNyeol
Ph.D.
May-07
North Dakota State University
Valendia-Parr, Margarita
Ph.D.
May-07
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Adams, Caren
M.S.-non-thesis
Aug-07
No Data Available
E. Type of financial support available for graduate students
Approximately 90 percent of the graduate students in AAEC are supported with
Research Assistantships while 10 percent are Teaching Assistants. Approximately 80 percent
of the Research Assistantship funding is from external funding. In the past six years, 100
percent of the graduate students in the AAEC program have received RA or TA funding.
Research funding has also provided employment for 15 – 22 undergraduate students per year,
plus several graduate students outside the department.
F. Number of students who have received national and university fellowships,
scholarships and other awards
For many years the Department has provided scholarships to all graduate students enrolled in
our graduate programs in an equitable basis from earnings provided by our Departmental
scholarship endowments. The current balance of our overall Departmental endowment used
for scholarships (no just in the graduate program, but in our undergraduate programs as well) is
$1,479,788 (as of August 31, 2007). This endowment has enabled us to provide a $150
scholarship PER term (every Fall, Spring. Summer I, and Summer II) to every graduate student
in AAEC. That is, every graduate student in our program can expect to receive a minimum of
$600 per year in scholarships.
Other awards received by our students include:
AWARD
AT&T Chancellors
Helen Devitt
Total
00/01
$0
$0
$0
01/02
$0
$0
$0
02/03
$0
$0
$0
03/04
$3,000
$0
$3,000
04/05
$6,000
$0
$6,000
05/06
$3,000
$0
$3,000
Agricultural and Applied Economics
06/07
$0
$7,000
$7,000
58
G. Graduate Student Publications and Creative Activities – Number of
publications and other activities by Master and Doctoral students in the
department.
Graduate students are actively encouraged and mentored to publish and present papers at
professional meetings as a matter of department policy and culture. Attendance at professional
meetings is encouraged and expenses are paid for their attendance/participation. Graduate
students are active in the Graduate Student Case Study Competition at the American
Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) meetings. The Departmental Graduate Student
Association provides active leadership at the regional and national levels, having proposed,
organized, and initiated the Graduate Student Section of the AAEA. Our students have placed
high and/or won the Graduate Student Paper Competitions of the Beltwide Cotton Economics
and Marketing Conference, and four recent graduate students won recognition for their Master
thesis research. Enrique Lopez, M.S. 2003 (Malaga – advisor) was awarded the Outstanding
M.S. thesis research award by the Western Agricultural Economics Association. Erin Wheeler,
M.S. 2005 (Segarra and Phillip Johnson – advisors), was awarded an Honorable mention for
her Master thesis research by the Southern Agricultural Economics Association. Justin Baker,
M.S. 2005 (Willis – advisor), was awarded the Outstanding M.S. thesis award by the Western
Agricultural Economics Association. And, Divinia Rodriguez, M.S. 2006 (Rejesus – advisor)
was awarded the Outstanding M.S. thesis award by the Southern Agricultural Economics
Association.
Publications Co-Authored by AAEC faculty and Graduate Students
Publication:
Year
Refereed Journal
Articles
Refereed
Abstracts
Proceedings
Papers
Technical
Bulletins
2006-07
6
10
18
7
2005-06
9
5
4
6
2004-05
11
22
10
4
2003-04
9
15
3
3
2002-03
11
10
8
9
2001-02
15
7
5
4
Please see Appendix G which contains the last six Departmental Annual Research Reports for
particulars/details on all publications published by AAEC.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
59
H. Programs for mentoring and professional preparation of graduate students
The faculty of the department makes pointed efforts to mentor graduate students through varied
activities beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to be active participants in
Departmental functions from attending seminars and Departmental, College and University
sponsored activities to attending a variety of disciplinary and multidisciplinary professional
gatherings/meetings. The faculty in AAEC does not consider graduate students to be working
FOR us, BUT working WITH us. All faculty members are quite proactive and hands on
individuals who involve graduate students in their research projects very early in the process
because the faculty sees this activity as a very positive factor which deeply influences the
professional formation of our students. We are interested in molding, honing, and sharpening
the analytical skills of our students so that they are well prepared to “apply” economics no just
use or do economics to address or solve problems. Our graduate level research methodology
course, which must be taken by all M.S. thesis and Ph.D. students and which is intended to
result in the production of their thesis/dissertation research proposal, is used as an excellent
instrument to develop and hone the research skills of our students.
I. Department efforts to retain students and graduation rates
The primary focus on retention is to (1) convey to prospective graduate students the level of
commitment required to successfully complete the graduate programs and (2) have faculty
work closely with them once in the program. We explain to students the differences in
philosophy, approach, and expectations between undergraduate and graduate education. We
also screen students based on reference letters from people who are familiar with their
academic records, capabilities, and motivations. We provide substantial mentoring of these
students from the beginning of their programs, including background work on their
thesis/dissertation projects very early.
The thrust of retention is for the students to be committed to their program and the department.
The departmental graduate student association is an important part of this “buy-in.” The
organization is a means for students to have social functions, organize recruiting activities for
the department, and express concerns to the department. It also presents easy access for
graduate student opinion when the department seeks their input on policy matters.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
60
V. Department
A. Department operating expenses
Department Operating Cost - Academic Year (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
$140,000
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000
$40,000
$20,000
$0
Operating Cost
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
06/07
$124,270
$93,329
$89,960
$107,370
$114,019
$96,942
Agricultural and Applied Economics
61
Department Operating Costs and Resource Generation ($)
Rate of Return and Research Leverage Ratio
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
06/07
Faculty Salaries
Dept Operating Cost
738,899
124,270
754,660
93,329
785,987
89,960
1,065,590
107,370
945,027
114,019
1,108,892
96,942
Total Operating
863,170
847,990
875,948
1,172,961
1,059,046
1,205,834
State Internal Funds*
226,520
284,779
467,321
225,295
283,891
208,325
1,342,937
1,414,159
TTU TOTAL
INVESTMENT IN
AAEC 1,089,690 1,132,769 1,343,269 1,398,256
Formula SCH
Generation**
Research Funding
NET of State
Contribution
N.A.
848,516
848,547
905,357
908,783
968,167
701,787
1,095,195
1,182,555
1,907,029
1,615,429
1,681,081
1,943,711 2,031,102
2,812,386
2,524,212
2,649,248
101.14%
87.96%
87.34%
TOTAL AAEC
GENERATION
OF RESOURCES
N.A.
NET RATE OF
RETURN ON
INVESTMENT
N.A.
71.59%
51.21%
RESEARCH
LEVERAGE
RATIO***
3.09
3.84
2.53
8.46
5.69
8.08
*Includes ALL internal funds received by the Department: research line item, seed grants, new
faculty-start ups, Texas Excellence funds, graduate school fellowships, and HEAF funds (these
are shown in section C below).
** Obtained from Vicki West.
*** Calculated by dividing research funding obtained NET of State contribution by State
internal funds invested in the Department.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
62
The table above shows the NET Rate of Return through time of all the funds invested by
Texas Tech University (or the State of Texas) in AAEC in an annual basis (it is not shown for
FY 01 because we were not able to obtain the formula SCH generation for this FY). The table
above also shows the research leverage ratio for AAEC through time.
The total amount of resources infused into or invested in the department (the “input” side) can
be split into three components; faculty salaries, operating funds (which includes staff salaries),
and state internally allocated funds which are used as “seed” money in our research program.
As shown above, TTU’s total annual investment in AAEC has increased over the period
considered from $1.089 million in FY 01 to $1.414 million in FY 06 (note that it shows a slight
decrease in FY 05 mainly because faculty replacements have taken place with junior faculty
whose salaries tend to be lower than more senior faculty who have left the department).
Once the “output” side of AAEC’s contributions are considered in terms of both, the
generation of resources through SCH formula generation of funds and the NET research
funding generated by the faculty (NET of the State internally allocated funds used as “seed”
money in the research program), the table above shows that AAEC generated a LOW of $1.943
million in FY 02 and a HIGH of $2.812 million in FY 04 (FY 01 is not included in this
calculation because we were not able to obtain the formula SCH generation for this FY).
When a comparison is made between TTU’s total investments and the total generation of
resources by AAEC, as shown in the table above, the overall NET Rate of Return on TTU’s
investment in AAEC has varied between a LOW of 51.21% in FY 03 (the year we received a
significant amount of funding through the Texas Excellence fund) and a HIGH of 101.14% in
FY 04. The reason for this variability is due to the inherent variability associated with the
generation of research funds whose availability is inherently quite variable. It is important to
note here, however, that the overall average ANNUAL NET rate of return over the last
FIVE years has been 79.84% per year. That is, AAEC has been able to generate almost
$1.80 for every dollar TTU has invested in our unit. This indicator shows that we in AAEC
have and continue to demonstrate that we ARE a good investment for both TTU and the State.
We are quite proud of this accomplishment ……….. in addition to the fact, that while doing
this (being fiscally sound and accountable) we know that we ARE making significant
contributions to the professional formation of our students; the enhancement of the skills and
worth of our staff and faculty; having a positive impact not only on our profession and allied
professions with whom we work and interact; and contributing positively in many ways at the
local, state, regional, national, and international levels.
In the bottom entry of the table above, the research leverage ratio associated with the total
amount of State internal funds invested in AAEC is shown. Specifically, this ratio is calculated
by dividing the research funding obtained NET of State contribution by State internal funds
invested in the department by the amount of internal funds invested by TTU in our department.
As indicated, this ratio has varied between a low of 2.53 in FY 03 (the year we received a
significant amount of funding through the Texas Excellence fund) and 8.46 in FY 04. Given
the information above the calculated average ANNUAL research leverage ratio for the last
six years in AAEC has been 5.28 per year. This ratio indicates that for every $1.00 that TTU
Agricultural and Applied Economics
63
(or the State of Texas) has invested in our research program the faculty in AAEC has been
able to generate $5.28 additional in support of our research program.
It is important to highlight here the very important role that our research advisory committee
has played in our ability to become highly competitive and proactive with respect to research
related activity in the department. This advisory committee was established over a decade ago
and consists of ten individuals who serve three year staggered terms. Some but not all of the
members of the research advisory committee are alumni from the department. The approach
taken by the faculty when requesting individuals to serve in this capacity, has been to make
sure that varied stakeholder groups are represented so as to assure a broad base source of input
into our research program. Appendix G which includes the departmental annual research
reports for the last six years, contains a section with the minutes of the annual meeting of this
advisory committee which takes place in the Fall and the current and past membership of this
group.
Summary of Number of Proposals Written and Accepted
We keep good records of all of the research proposals which were funded through time in
AAEC. Our annual research report, the last six annual research reports are included in
Appendix G, outlines every single funded research project and its associated funding
conducted in AAEC on a yearly basis (also we maintain our portion of CASNR’s sponsored
research data base which is available in CASNR’s web site which contains related records of
all on-going research projects in AAEC). We do keep a record of the overall number of
proposal submitted by our faculty, but it is not possible to go back and classify the ones which
were NOT funded through time. The total number of proposals submitted in the last seven
years by AAEC faculty are as follows (includes “portions” of proposals written in cooperation
with other units): FY 00, 13 proposals; FY 01, 17 proposals; FY 02, 22.86 proposals; FY 03,
15.97 proposals; FY 04, 15.96 proposals; FY 05 15.82 proposals,; and FY 06, 16 proposals
(approximate). In the next section a summary of all funded projects in AAEC through time
(since the time we have kept records) and specific source are outlined (an extended version of
this information is found in Appendix G in individual the annual research reports).
Agricultural and Applied Economics
64
B. External Research expenditures
Our Departmental research expenditure records are slightly different from the data shown in
the table below which was gathered using data from the Office of Research Services. The
main source of discrepancy reside in the way some of our awards are classified. Following this
page, in the next three pages AAEC’s overall research funding from different sources is shown
since FY 1981. As shown in the table in the next page and the three figures that follow, the
long–term–trend of research funding in AAEC has been quite positive. Note that in the mid to
late-1990 was the time when the Department began to emphasize research activity and the
faculty who we have been hired since that time reflects the fact that we have emphasized
research as an integral part of the contributions faculty should make. Also, note that in the
early 2000s was the time when the department started to emphasize seeking increased federal
funding as a response to TTU’s administration desire to increase research funding obtained
from federal sources.
SUMMARY OF FACULTY AWARDS BY HOME DEPARTMENT
Year
Source: Office of Research Services
Numb er of
FacilitIes &
Awards
Administrative
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
Totals:
<06/07 TO DATE>
Award Amount
13.29
11.25
13.08
17.69
11.94
10.73
$18,632
$27,151
$57,252
$108,563
$95,291
$81,132
$259,482
$251,145
$1,051,576
$1,606,456
$1,462,331
$1,108,535
77.98
5.5
$388,021
$69,399
$5,739,525
$1,233,583
Research Expenditures (AAEC)
Source: Institutional Research Services
$1,800,000
$1,600,000
$1,400,000
$1,200,000
$1,000,000
$800,000
$600,000
$400,000
$200,000
$0
Sponsored
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
$259,482
$251,145
$1,051,576
$1,606,456
$1,462,331
$1,108,535
Agricultural and Applied Economics
65
Table 1. Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Research Funding by Source, 1981/82 to 2005/06.
_________________________________________________________
Source
____________________________________________
Year
State
Federal
Private
TOTAL*
_________________________________________________________
------------------Dollars--------------------------------------1981/82
1982/83
1983/84
1984/85
1985/86
1986/87
1987/88
1988/89
1989/90
1990/91
1991/92
1992/93
1993/94
1994/95
1995/96
1996/97
1997/98
1998/99
1999/00
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
148,983
127,105
167,660
164,292
165,413
173,392
123,265
102,134
99,531
72,221
109,437
171,429
115,776
197,947
251,932
236,607
287,576
302,788
371,803
322,057
349,003
547,904
256,145
225,835
281,205
443,437
2,000
19,424
70,413
174,065
80,067
138,077
155,202
78,533
57,700
25,000
40,000
75,379
130,699
60,054
145,576
104,377
116,750
116,239
126,400
203,386
457,508
787,186
1,258,791
1,740,348
1,406,603
1,381,152
27,180
19,650
29,687
68,837
33,381
54,400
22,700
0
3,000
12,525
123,475
121,825
106,250
109,686
64,500
67,400
121,232
227,016
130,705
109,734
95,508
89,321
93,072
104,167
113,416
45,233
178,163
166,179
267,760
407,194
278,911
365,869
301,167
180,667
160,231
109,746
272,912
368,633
352,725
367,687
462,008
408,384
525,558
646,043
628,908
635,177
902,407
1,342,474
1,608,008
2,070,350
1,801,224
1,869,822
*The total reflects funding of the specific research projects, funding associated
with cooperative research projects, and other Departmental research activities.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
66
2,000,000
1,800,000
1,600,000
Dollars
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
20
05
/
06
04
03
/
20
01
/
02
00
20
19
19
19
97
/
99
/
98
96
95
/
93
/
94
92
91
/
19
19
19
89
/
90
88
19
87
/
86
85
/
19
19
83
/
84
0
Year
Total
Figure 1: AAEC - Three Year Moving Average of Total Funding
1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
Dollars
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
06
05
/
20
20
03
/
04
02
20
99
/
01
/
00
98
19
19
19
95
/
97
/
96
94
19
93
/
92
91
/
19
19
89
/
90
88
19
87
/
86
85
/
19
19
83
/
84
0
Year
State
Federal
Figure 2: AAEC - Three Year Moving Average of State and Federal Funding
Agricultural and Applied Economics
67
180,000
160,000
140,000
Dollars
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
20
05
/
06
04
03
/
20
01
/
20
19
99
/
02
00
98
97
/
19
19
95
/
96
94
93
/
19
19
91
/
92
90
89
/
19
87
/
88
86
19
85
/
19
19
83
/
84
0
Year
Private
Figure 3: AAEC - Three Year Moving Average of Private Funding
Agricultural and Applied Economics
68
Comparison of Research
Expenditures
Colorado State University
North Dakota State University
University of Missouri
University of Nebraska
Virginia Tech
Texas Tech
00/01
01/02
$237,153
$259,482
02/03
03/04
$315,509
04/05
$548,762
05/06
$713,551
$918,610
$200,700
$145,200
$137,472
$110,984
$252,580
$4,426,990
$5,009,607
$5,174,184
$5,102,941
$5,688,940
$466,332
$790,172
$982,080
$1,195,709
$1,346,062
$825,148
$824,660
$703,333
$726,771
$930,769
$251,145
$1,051,576
$1,606,456
$1,462,331
$1,108,535
Please, see the previous three pages for the specific information provided by the AAEC
department. The funding or expenditures provided in the table above for our Department does
not take into account ALL the funding we actually generated. Overall, we feel that both, the
significance of our research program and overall funding obtained by our faculty is quite
competitive with all the programs listed above (except for the program at Missouri which
seems to be kind of an outlier because this program includes other disciplines than just
agricultural economics). It is important to highlight that all the universities listed above are
Land Grant institutions and receive significant amounts of federal funding to conduct research
associated with experiment station and extension programs.
C. Internal Funding
The table below highlights the sources of ALL internal funds received by AAEC (other
than faculty salaries and operating funds) in support of all of our programs.
Source of Internal Funds (TTU)
Research Enhancement
00/01
01/02
02/03
34,167
41,167
11,250
166,453
159,453
166,453
03/04
04/05
05/06
06/07
163,321
185,795
182,521
170,225
Research Incentive
Line Items
Interdisciplinary Seed Grants
10,000
6,220
New Faculty Start-ups
49,750
Matching from VPRGSTT
Special needs and opportunities
Texas Excellence
66,576
266,000
Research Promotion
Graduate School Fellowships
3,000
6,000
3,000
7,000
HEAF
39,200
15,900
40,500
35,000
33,500
42,400
31,100
TOTAL
239,820
226,520
284,779
467,321
225,295
283,891
208,325
Agricultural and Applied Economics
69
D. Scholarships and endowments
As stated before, the current level of our overall scholarship endowments is $1,479,788. The
specific balances of the different endowments are as follows:
Account Description
A.F. & Kathleen Wischkaemper
Agricultural Competitiveness Chair
Agricultural Finance Institute
Ag. Economics Former Student
Ag. Economics Quasi
Bankers Agricultural Credit Conference
Dr. & Mrs. Cal Brints
Charles C. Thompson
Clabber Hill Ranch
Dave and Joan Hopper
David Phillips Memorial
Dean W. Hughes Memorial
Graduate Fellowship in Ag./Marketing
James W. & Lindl T. Graves
Marion Mayes Memorial
Sujit K. Roy Memorial
W.B. Rushing
Willard F. Williams Memorial
Overall Total
Amount
12,214.87
5,239.83
479,553.57
26,724.99
9,184.70
49,126.24
12,801.74
418,305.84
67,632.34
33,365.87
35,655.28
24,776.45
8,700.79
61,557.27
9,598.58
174,655.12
41,951.55
8,742.98
1,479,788.01
It is important to highlight here, that after much consideration, given that we currently do not
have any endowed chair positions in AAEC, in the Fall of 2006 we launched a drive to
establish the Endowed Chair in Agricultural Competitiveness in our department. The intention
is for this endowment to be able to fund the first endowed chair position in our department.
Our department is an internationally recognized leader in agricultural marketing issues and
global competitiveness issues. Examples of this is the work are the recent contributions of the
Cotton Economics Research Institute in the marketing and policy areas related to the Brazilian
WTO petition and a study of the impacts of the Chinese currency re-evaluation on the global
and U.S. economies. Global competitiveness is critical to the future of South Plains’
agriculture in Texas. Today’s agriculture producers must be experts at not just producing their
Agricultural and Applied Economics
70
crop(s), but also must be adept at marketing their crop(s) in a global economy. Many
uncertainties such as weather and pricing may never be overcome; however, research and
education can help minimize these uncertainties. Because AAEC is committed to providing
agricultural decision makers relevant, reliable, and timely research information and issues
impacting decision making must be identified and addressed well before they become hotbutton items. Therefore, AAEC with the help and encouragement of many of our agribusiness
partners, launched the creation of an Endowed Chair in Agricultural Competitiveness. This
endowed faculty position will: 1) provide a dedicated effort to enhance the global
competitiveness of production agriculture on the South Plains of Texas, especially cotton; 2)
proactively address positioning, strategy, pricing, and competitive stature in the global market
place; and 3) disburse information, conclusions and recommendations to producers in the
Texas South Plains.
A graduate assistantship in agricultural competitiveness was established in 2006 through the
support of First Ag Credit, CoBank, Texas Cotton Ginners Association, PYCO Industries,
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, Farmers Cooperative Compress, and Texas
Independent Ginners Association.
Plains Cotton Growers has pledged $500,000 in matching funds toward a $1,000,000 endowed
chair in agricultural competitiveness. The initial goal is to secure these funds no later than
December 31, 2008. This will be followed by efforts to ultimately increase the endowment to
$3,000,000.
Agricultural and Applied Economics
71
E. Departmental resources for research and teaching (i.e., classroom space, lab
facilities)
The table below outlines the physical resources available to the department. Overall, given the
current student enrollment in our programs, and the number of staff and faculty we currently
have the physical/space resources available to us are barely “adequate.” In fact, we currently
do not have any physical/space resources available that would allow us to grow much. In fact,
we do require at least an additional classroom, additional office space for two or three extra
post-doctorate research associates, and at least two more offices for graduate students that
could accommodate several work areas. The entire department is located throughout the
Agricultural Sciences building (in the basement, and first and second floors). The overall
“quality” of the physical resources we have is not close to what we would like to have, but we
have very little to say about this (however, the restroom facilities in the first floor and making
the building handicap accessible should be a high priority).
Type of Space
Number of Rooms
Total Assignable Square Feet
OFFICES:
Faculty & Administration
17
Clerical
Graduate Assistant
5
6 (with several
work areas each)
Technician
7
Emeritus
none
LABS:
Special Instruction Labs
1 (computer)
Research Labs
1 (DPES)
STORAGE:
5
LIBRARY:
CENTERS & OTHER
FACILITIES:
1
Office
2
Classrooms
3
Computer Lab.
1
Conference Room
1
TOTAL SQUARE FEET
Unknown
Agricultural and Applied Economics
72
F. HEAF expenditures
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
TOTAL
31,100
42,400
33,500
35,000
40,500
15,900
39,200
The majority of the HEAF funds received by AAEC have historically been devoted to maintain
and/or replace copier machines (we have two) and varied computer related equipment
(currently we have in inventory over 100 desktop computers, 7 laptop computers, over 30
printers, 1 large computer server, several digital projectors, and varied other equipment).
Agricultural and Applied Economics
73
VI. Conclusion – a one- to two-page summary of the observed deficiencies and needs
identified by your review. Identify areas of greatest need and areas of significant
contributions.
Strengths
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Outstanding students, staff and faculty
Excellent coordination between general departmental missions and faculty/staff duties
Very high level of productivity of staff and faculty
Have hired four outstanding and promising faculty members in little over two years
Are in the process of hiring two additional outstanding and promising faculty members
Increasing trend in student (undergraduate and graduate) enrollment
Increasing trend in total SCH generation (undergraduate and graduate)
Increasing trend in retention and graduation rates (undergraduate and graduate)
Strong internship program
Superb placement of students (undergraduate and graduate) in workforce
Embracement of the relevancy of learning outcomes in all academic programs
Enhanced course and academic program offerings
Strong student (undergraduate and graduate) participation and performance in academic
and professional activities
Effective use of research advisory committee
Widespread recognition of the high degree of relevancy of research programs’ efforts
and contributions in academic and professional circles
Continued strong research funding (total level and in a per faculty basis)
Continued strong leveraging of state research funds - research leveraging average of
5.28 per year in the last six years
Strong research and engagement partnerships with other institutions
Recognition of the relevancy of academic, professional and community engagement
activities/contributions by students (undergraduate and graduate), faculty and staff
Proven to be a good investment for Texas Tech University - average annual rate of
return over the last FIVE years has been 79.84% per year
Issues Needing Attention (….all being addressed on a steadily continuous basis)
•
•
•
•
•
Total graduate student enrollment
Number of Ph.D. students
Generation of SCH
Enhancement (quality and number) of physical/space facilities
Bridge funding to protect overall research program
Agricultural and Applied Economics
74
Short to Medium Term Strategic Goals
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increase salaries of staff and faculty
Enhance professional development opportunities for staff and faculty
Establishment of the Agribusiness Research Center
Enhanced fellowships and scholarships stipends
Enhanced partnerships with community colleges and post-secondary institutions
Establishment of the Agricultural Competitiveness Endowment
Agricultural and Applied Economics