THE EXCHANGE: Winter 2023

Welcome to 2023! It’s a new year and we in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics are eagerly anticipating a new set of opportunities for our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Kicking things off, starting at noon on February 15th and running for 24 hours, is Virginia Tech’s annual Giving Day event. Our goal is to have the most donors of any department on campus. Give five dollars. Give ten dollars. But, please give! Your donations to AAEC's annual fund will offer opportunities beyond the traditional classroom walls. From career fairs to studying abroad, attending industry conferences to the student ambassador leadership program, we set out to connect every student with unique opportunities to help enrich their experiences. 

This year, in addition to our annual fund, we have something special planned. Greg Estep ’83, recently retired Managing Director and CEO of Spices for the largest industrial spice company in the world, Olam Food Ingredients, is challenging Commodity Investing by Students (COINS) alumni and friends to give back. Once COINS receives 25 donations, Greg will donate $2,500. 

We have other exciting things happening in February. On the evening of February 16th, we will have our first in-person Scholarship Reception event in over three years. Invitations will be sent separately, but we are looking forward to a great event in the South Outdoor Club in Lane Stadium. It will be a chance to come together to celebrate the achievements of some of our students and to offer our thanks and appreciation to the individuals, organizations, and companies that generously provide scholarship funds.

In other exciting news, the department is actively searching for the inaugural holder of our Kohl Chair. In addition to providing leadership to the Kohl Agribusiness Centre and leading our efforts in experiential learning, the Kohl Chair will help promote our efforts in agribusiness analytics with students, agribusiness, and Extension audiences. The department will also be searching soon for a new academic advisor. While we congratulate Katie White for taking on a more visible role in the CALS academic programs office, we are sad to see her go.

Speaking of the Kohl Centre, Jay Akridge, the Trustee Chair in Teaching and Learning Excellence at Purdue University, will visit the department this spring. He will serve as the Kohl Visiting Faculty Fellow in Agribusiness Management and Strategy. Jay will help the department think about the organization and strategic positioning of its Kohl Agribusiness Centre and advise the college as it begins to develop a new multidisciplinary M.S. degree in food and agricultural analytics. He also looks forward to learning more about how Virginia Tech is supporting teaching excellence and approaching experiential education and online learning.

Indeed, we are excited about all the great things going on in our department. 2023 will be another great year. Go Hokies!