On September 29th, the Ohio State University recognized its faculty members who hold endowed chair positions and the donors whose generous contributions fund these appointments. The medallions that endowed chairs and donors received at the event bear the university’s official seal, reserved for use by the Office of the President and Board of Trustees for only the highest awards.
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.
AEDE's Ani Katchova, who serves as Ohio State’s Farm Income Enhancement Chair, Mark Partridge, who is Ohio State’s C. William Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy, and Ian Sheldon, who serves as Ohio State’s Andersons Chair in Agricultural Trade, Marketing and Policy, were recognized at the event.
Katchova was named Ohio State’s Farm Income Enhancement Chair in 2015 and in this role she oversees Ohio State’s Farm Income Enhancement Program, which develops and delivers 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.
The Farm Income Enhancement Program was founded in 1988. Thomas Sporleder, now AEDE emeritus professor, was the first holder of the Farm Income Enhancement Chair. Funding for the endowment comes from a wide variety of donors, with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation playing an instrumental role in establishing the fund.
Partridge was named the C. William Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy in 2006. In this role, he oversees the C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy, which focuses on research and outreach on priority issues related to rural and urban communities and their growth. The program combines innovative approaches in economic theory, planning, advanced statistical research and geographical information systems to create products that can be used by the academic community, stakeholders, policymakers, students and the public.
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 C. William Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy. Partridge is the second endowed chair for the program.
Sheldon was named the Andersons Endowed Chair in Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy in early 2016. 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.
Former holders of the Andersons Chair include Luther Tweeten, now AEDE emeritus professor, and Barry Goodwin, now a distinguished professor at NC State University.
Top image: Medals from the endowed chairs recognition ceremony. Photo: The Ohio State University
Bottom Image: AEDE's Ani Katchova, fourth from left, and Ian Sheldon, second from right, at the ceremony. Photo: The Ohio State University