Masterminds, held on October 5th, is a new event that features The Ohio State University's strongest colleges and most brillant faculty who hold endowed positions. The first endowed chair was established at The Ohio State University in 1963. Since then, more than 170 endowed chair positions have been created to benefit The Ohio State University for generations to come. Three AEDE Professors who hold Endowed Chairs were honored.
Ani Katchova holds the Farm Income Enhancement Program Chair. "This position has been instrumental in helping me develop a nationally recognized research, education, and outreach program to enhance farm income and promote long-term sustainability for farm businesses. The Chair has allowed me to focus my work on economic and financial issues that are relevant and important to the agricultural sector nationwide and to stakeholders in Ohio."
The Farm Income Enhancement Endowed Chair was established April 8, 1988, by Nationwide Insurance Company, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the state of Ohio. Income supports a professor to develop and deliver research, education, and outreach to enhance farm income and promote long-term stability for farm businesses. Katchova oversees a team of researchers who conduct analysis on finance, marketing, and policy issues and problems facing farmers and agriculture in general.
Mark Patridge holds the C. William Swank Chair in Rural and Urban Policy. "I am honored to be associated with Dr. Swank and his incredible legacy that touched so many. The funds allow me to carry out the important mission of the Swank program, which provides timely information on issues that affect urban and rural Ohioans including the pursuit of sustainable economic growth. The funds also support an internationally respected research program on how best to achieve greater job growth without increasing income inequality."
The C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy was established in 1995 and was officially launched in 1997 with the hiring of Lawrence W. Libby, now AEDE emeritus professor, the first holder of the Chair. Partridge is the second endowed chair for the program.
Ian Sheldon holds the Andersons Chair in Agricultural Trade, Marketing and Policy. "The Andersons Chair has not only allowed me to broaden my research in international economics, but it has also given me the opportunity to communicate and engage in discussion about economic policy with the broader community in Columbus and the state.”
As Andersons Chair, Sheldon oversees the Andersons Program in International Trade, which is a broad-based program focused on research and outreach in the area of international trade and public policy. Past research by the program has included topics such as food prices and trade policy, international trade and ethanol, and the connection between trade and the environment, among others. The endowment was established in 1988 with funding from The Andersons, Inc.