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LDS Professor Named to Dept. of Agriculture Post
WASHINGTON, DC -- Dr. Rodney J. Brown, Dean of the Utah State
University College of Agriculture, has been named Deputy Under
Secretary for Research, Education and Economics in the U.S.
Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. Dean Brown, an LDS
returned missionary who grew up on a dairy farm in Coalville, Utah,
will oversee four agencies of the USDA: the Agricultural Research
Service (ARS), the Cooperative State Research, Education and
Extension Service (CSREES), the Economic Research Service (ERS) and
the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
"Rodney Brown brings to USDA extensive knowledge in agriculture,
research and extension programs," said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann
M. Veneman. "This experience will be extremely valuable as we
continue to strengthen research programs to best help farmers and
consumers."
Dean Brown earned a Bachelor of Science degree at BYU in 1972 after
completing an LDS mission to British Columbia. He also earned a
master's degree in nutrition and food science in 1973 from Utah State
and a Ph.D. in food science in 1977 from North Carolina State
University in Raleigh. He then spent two years at the Weizmann
Institute of Science in Israel before beginning his academic career
in 1979 as an Assistant Professor at Utah State University.
Brown was Head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences,
Director of the Western Dairy Foods Research Center, and spent one
year as Acting Vice President for Research before becoming dean of
USU's College of Agriculture in 1991. The University's Provost, Stan
Albrecht, says he will be missed, "The university community
appreciates Dean Brown's efforts and service. Rod's leadership in the
College of Agriculture will be greatly missed."
Recently Brown chaired the Board on Agriculture of National
Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC),
during which time he established formal links with the
Interuniversity Council on Agriculture in Europe. For the past year,
Brown served as senior program liaison between Earth Science
Enterprise of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and USDA's CSREES.
Brown has received many honors including: the American Dairy Science
Association Pfizer Inc. Award for Cheese and Cultured Products
Research; the Utah State University Leone Administrative Leadership
Award; the G. Malcolm Trout Visiting Scholar from the Department of
Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University; and
the Utah State University President's Diversity Award.
Sources:
Veneman Names Rodney J. Brown as Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics
USDA News Release 8Feb02 P2
Utah State Administrator Named to USDA Post
USU News Release 11Feb02 P2
Brown takes NASA/USDA position
College of Agriculture Newsline--Spring 2001
Dr. Rodney J. Brown, Utah State University: Biography
American Distance Education Consortium
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