05/29/2009

Patterson Named College of Ag Associate Dean for Instruction

AUBURN, Ala. — Paul Patterson, an Auburn native and a 1985 Auburn University College of Agriculture alumnus, has been named the college’s new associate dean for instruction, effective June 8. He comes to Auburn from his position as professor and dean of the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness at Arizona State University.

Patterson is the son of R.M. and Jean Patterson of Auburn. The elder Patterson was a long-time College of Ag faculty member who served as head of the Research Data Analysis department until his retirement in 1985. Mrs. Patterson worked for many years as Auburn High School librarian.

The incoming associate dean earned his bachelor’s degree at Auburn in agricultural economics, a field that was an ideal fit for him.

“When I started college, I was interested in biology, forestry and business,” he said. “Agricultural economics was a major that brought all of my diverse interests together.”

While at Auburn, Patterson took an international relations class that opened his eyes to global issues and to the significant impact the agricultural sciences have on concerns and problems worldwide. That global interest led him to graduate school at Purdue University, where he was awarded his master’s degree in ag economics in 1987. His master’s thesis focused on the impact of the Soviet grain embargo on grain markets in the U.S. and abroad.

Patterson worked as a cotton analyst for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service for two years, then returned to Purdue as a USDA National Needs Fellow in International Marketing to pursue his doctorate, which he completed in 1995.

That same year, he joined the faculty at Arizona State University’s Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness, where he taught courses in agricultural marketing, marketing, food and agricultural policy and management science. His research concentrated on issues ranging from food marketing and industrial organization to international trade, food and agricultural policy.

In 2006, he was named interim dean of the school and in January 2007, the position was made permanent.

Patterson brings to Auburn his serious concern over the national decline in the number of undergraduate and graduate students enrolling in agricultural degree programs, and one of his top priorities as associate dean will be to increase prospective students’ awareness of the wide spectrum of careers available in the food and agricultural sector and impress upon them “how vitally important this sector is to our lives and our nation’s economy.”

“We are in a time period when there is a great need for new leadership in the agricultural sector,” he said.

Other high priorities include ensuring that students in the College of Ag have enriching, intellectually stimulating and enjoyable educational experiences and strongly supporting faculty colleagues as well as Auburn’s mission and expectations for excellence.

Patterson said he is eager to return to his hometown and his alma mater, not only to take on the challenges and responsibilities of his new position but also for the opportunities to be near his parents, to be a part of the College of Ag family again and to experience once more football Saturdays in Auburn.

“One job I had (as a student at Auburn) was delivering food to the press box of the football stadium on Saturday mornings before games,” he said. “I still recall the electricity that existed during those early mornings even before anyone was stirring. It was nearly palpable; I have never experienced anything like it anywhere else. I intend to defy Thomas Wolfe in my return home.”

College of Agriculture Dean Richard Guthrie said Patterson is guaranteed a warm and enthusiastic welcome at Auburn.

“Paul Patterson was a College of Ag student and is a College of Ag graduate, and we are excited that he is returning to the College of Ag in this capacity,” Guthrie said. “He comes here from a comparable position at Arizona State University, a university that has built one of the largest agribusiness programs in the U.S. Dr. Patterson has invaluable experience as a teacher, a researcher and an administrator, and he will be a tremendous asset to the college as associate dean.”

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5/29/2009

Contact: Katie Jackson, 334-844-5887 or smithcl@auburn.edu

OFFICE OF AG COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 COMER HALL, AUBURN UNIVERSITY
AUBURN, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)
AgComm@auburn.edu