ASU Appoints Patterson as Interim Dean of Agribusiness School

April 11, 2007

MESA, Ariz. - Arizona State University at the Polytechnic announced today the appointment of Paul Patterson to interim dean for the Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management, effective July 1. Patterson will be replacing Raymond Marquardt who is stepping down as dean and will continue on as a professor of the school.<separator></separator>As interim dean, Patterson will guide the transition of the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness to the proposed Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness.<separator></separator>"Paul has demonstrated a strong leadership style throughout his career, and especially as the president of the Academic Assembly for the Polytechnic campus," said Gerald Jakubowski, vice president of ASU and provost of the Polytechnic campus. "In the very near future, the school will look to Paul for leadership in merging the Morrison School of Agribusiness programs with the Business Administration and Real Estate programs and moving the transition of the new school forward," said Jakubowski.<separator></separator>The new school will continue to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees, and will partner with the W. P. Carey School of Business in Tempe to offer a concentration in Agribusiness at the doctorate level. It's anticipated that research will become an even more integral part of the school.<separator></separator>"I recognize that we face some very important near-term challenges and opportunities and some ongoing responsibilities," said Patterson Agribusiness professor. "We will work to develop a distinct identity and mission for the school, which complements the mission of the Polytechnic campus and other business programs at ASU, while staying true to our legacy. This will require us to embrace a diverse portfolio of academic programs in business and agribusiness and a broad research agenda."<separator></separator>Paul has been a faculty member in the Morrison School since 1995 where he has held positions of increasing responsibility. He has served on the Academic Assembly for six years as parliamentarian, president-elect and most recently as its president. He is extremely well published and has been recognized with distinctions from the university as well as national associations and the USDA. Paul earned his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business and Economics from Auburn University, and his master's and doctorate in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.