Lester H. Myers, Professor and Head, Dept. of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. B.S., 1961, Penn State University; M.S., 1964, University of Connecticut; Ph.D., 1968, Purdue University. Subject matter interest: Consumer demand, price analysis, food and agricultural policy. SAEA: Editorial Council of SJAE 1976-79; Nominee for President in 1987. AAEA: Associate editor of AJAE 1973-74; Executive Board of Directors 1983-86; Ad Hoc Committee on Choices magazine policy 1985-87; Chair, Finance Committee 1985-86; Foundation Board of Directors 1995-98; President of Foundation 1996-97. Teaching and Advising: Agricultural Marketing and Prices, Elementary Econometrics, Demand Theory, Food and Agricultural Policy, Major Advisor, 5 MS and 4 Ph.D. Research Dissemination: Forty seven articles in professional publications and over 60 in industry/popular outlets. Other Services: Professor of Food and Resource Econ., Univ. of Florida 1968-1980; Dir. International Agricultural Services, Chase Econometrics 1980-1983; Branch Chief, ERS, USDA 1984-1992; Chair, Social & Behavioral Sciences Dept., USDA Graduate School 1986-92; Executive Committees of NE-165, NC-194, NE-63; ERS representative on U. S. Government Interagency Board on Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research 1987-92; Chair Southern Region Agricultural Economics Department Chairs/Heads 1997-99; Chair, National Association of Agricultural Economics Administrators 2000-2001.

At the end of your term, what changes/new initiatives would you have helped create?

As an agricultural economics department administrator, I am cognizant of the many challenges we face as a profession in adjusting to forces such as the industrialization of agriculture, conflicts between urbanization and the need to preserve open space, reduced graduate student populations, the demand for technology enabled distance education, increased emphasis on competitive grants to support research funding, and the need to address complex problems requiring multidisciplinary approaches. The Association has recognized the need to respond in a supportive way through various initiatives in recent years. Yet we have continued challenges. I would like to continue the initiatives put in place to encourage a broad participation in Association activities. Beyond that I would encourage the Association to develop new initiatives designed to stimulate strategic thinking in the following areas: agricultural economics extension/outreach program development, implementation and evaluation; future faculty expertise needs with implications for Ph.D. programs; new avenues for professional communication and research dissemination.

Mark J. Cochran, Head and Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas. B.S., 1974, New Mexico State University, M.S., 1974, Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1982, Michigan State University. SAEA: 1st Vice-President, 1994; Editorial Council SJAE, 1989-92; Reviewer for JAAE/SJAE, 1982-95. AAEA: Reviewer for AJAE 1984-1990,1992, 1994; Topic Leader for Risk & Uncertainty Section, Selected Papers, 1990 & 1988; Outstanding Masters Thesis Selection Committee, 1988. Awards: Arkansas Cotton Achievement Award, 1999; John W. White Outstanding Team Research Award, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, 1999. Publications: 27 refereed journal articles; 5 book chapters; over 100 AES publications, proceedings and abstracts; and 8 computer software packages including Generalized Stochastic Dominance (requested by researchers in 16 countries, all fifty states and 9 disciplines) and COTMAN, an expert system for cotton management in use in 14 states. Subject Matter Interests: production economics, risk management, computerized decision aids, pest management, resource economics. Other Service: President, Arkansas Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, 1993-94; Faculty advisor of Agricultural Business Club, 1994-95; President, Southern Regional Risk Project S-232, 1989-90.

At the end of term, what changes/new initiatives would you have helped create?

I have always viewed the function of professional associations like the SAEA to be threefold: enhance effectiveness in our teaching, research and/or extension missions; promote the relevance of our discipline; and recognize excellence in achievement. To that end, I would pursue initiatives which would improve the SAEA's ability to provide these functions in a dynamic and ever changing environment. Intellectual exchanges on the necessary adjustments to our teaching programs that account for changes in technology, teaching styles, globalization and creative partnerships between and across universities and industry should be a major goal of the Association. The SAEA could play a useful role in providing frank discussions and shared learning on how we prepare students for careers that may not currently exist and do so in a manner that we can differentiate from the Business Schools. We should continue to build programs that share information and insights on relevant research and extension topics. However, the SAEA could do more by establishing workshops and sessions that might facilitate effective grantsmanship for the nationally competitive grants that require multi-state, multi-institutions and often multi-disciplinary approaches. The increasing importance of these grants and the declining role of more traditional regional projects may create opportunities for the SAEA to facilitate and coordinate for its members. The SAEA has successfully developed a mechanism to attract undergraduate students to its meetings. It should seek similar means to attract more graduate students to participate, particularly M.S. students. Special sessions or events for these students, if appropriately attended, could be a useful means for their professional development.

Michele Christine Marra is a professor and specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at NC State University. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Ag. Econ. and her Ph.D. in Econ. from NC State. She began her career in the Dept. of Ag. and Res. Econ. at the Univ. of Maine in 1985, where she was an assistant and associate professor. Michele eventually regained her senses and returned to the South, where she joined the faculty at NC State in 1995. Selected Professional Activities and Honors: Activities: Board member, C-FARE, 1999-2001. AAEA Employment Services Comm., 1993-1999, Chair 1997-1999. J. of Ag. and App. Econ. Edit. Council, 1998-2000. Southern Ag. Econ. Assoc. Extension Awards Comm., 1995-97. J. of Food Dist. Res. Edit. Board, 1995-98. Board of Dir., Northeastern Ag. and Res. Econ. Assoc., 1990-1993. Edit. Board, Northeastern J. of Ag. and Res. Econ., 1989-1992. Honors: Best Published Research Award, W. Ag. Econ. Assoc., 2000. Cert. of Excellence, Am. Soc. of Agron., Outstanding Development of Agronomic Education Material, Publications, 1999. Teacher of the Year, 1993, ARE., U. of ME. Productivity: Michele has published more than 40 journal articles, books and book chapters and had over 80 published abstracts and papers presented at professional meetings. She has published more than 20 extension and experiment station publications and over 20 articles in periodicals. She has taught production econ., farm management, ag. finance, principles of micro- and macro-econ., and ag. policy.

At the end of your term, what changes/new initiatives would you have helped create?

In this day and age, information is key to successful endeavors in all areas of our profession. I would like to help develop a mechanism to promote more informal discussion and timely information exchange among extension specialists and researchers across the South, working on a common topic of interest. I would propose that one or two "discussion groups" be organized as a part of the meetings each year. Given the diversity in southern agriculture, the gains from trading information in this way would help us all to be more effective.

Mary Ahearn, Senior Economist, Agricultural Structure Branch, Resource Economics Division, Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture. She received her B.S. from the University of Florida in 1975, her M.S. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1978, and her Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1984. She has held a variety of positions in the ERS since joining in 1978. From 1978-83 she was a research economist focusing on rural health and poverty issues. During part of this period (1980-82), she was a visiting researcher at the Western Rural Development Center located at Oregon State University. From 1984 until 1992 her research interests focused on farm financial and structure issues. During this period she served as a Section Leader for the Farm Income Research Section and the Costs and Returns Section. In 1993, she served as an Assistant to the Administrator of ERS. A major project during this period was to coordinate an effort among relevant organizations (ERS, AAEA, and CSREES) to identify priorities for agricultural economics from our customer's viewpoint. From 1994-1999, she served as the Chief of the Environmental Indicators and Resource Accounting Branch. In 2000, she took ERS' version of a sabbatical leave and took classes at the Oregon State University in Agricultural Biotechnology and Productivity, and continued to pursue a project on agricultural uses of land. She is currently back in Washington, D.C. initiating a research program on issues involving agricultural industrialization. Mary has been active in a variety of capacities in professional associations, including serving as a Director on AAEA's Board, Chairperson of several AAEA Committees (Finance, Economic Statistics Committee, and Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics). She has served on the Editorial Council of the Review of Agricultural Economics and the Editorial Advisory Board of the Agricultural Economics journal. She has been a member of SAEA intermittently for more than a decade. She has authored more than 70 publications and over 50 papers at professional meetings.

At the end of your term, what changes/new initiatives would you have helped create? I believe the role of a director is to couple his or her views on the future of the association with those of the diverse membership. Consequently, I would first seek to learn about and review the current plan of the SAEA and to seek out more information about the preferences of the diverse membership. The general views about priorities for SAEA that I would bring to the position would be to encourage those elements already established in the USDA-Land Grant system that seek to solve real world problems. Success in solving real world problems requires contributions from basic and applied research, teaching, and outreach. It also requires collaboration among specialists in these areas and across disciplines. What is truly exciting about our discipline is that Agricultural Economics is an integrative discipline and, hence, we have special responsibility and opportunity to build bridges among disciplines and specializations. SAEA provides a platform for accomplishing this. I am most interested in SAEA initiatives that foster connections among those engaged in solving problems, whether employed by universities, government, or the private sector

SAEA Selected Paper Proposals

More than 180 selected paper proposals were received, compared to 138 last year and 155 the year before. The submitter of the proposal should have received an e-mail acknowledging his or her submission. If you have not, please contact Mary Ahearn at saea-sp@ers.usda.gov. The coordinators of the process have identified 11 topic area leaders who have in turn identified more than 60 reviewers. The proposals are currently being reviewed. Once the reviews are completed, topic area leaders will propose sessions in conjunction with the selected paper coordinators. Submitters of proposals will be notified by late October or early November regarding the outcome of the review process.

Call for SRSA Papers: The Southern Regional Science Association invites you to attend its 41st Annual Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, on April 11-13, 2002. Papers are welcome on a wide variety of topics related to regional analysis, including (but certainly not limited to) regional modeling, international trade, rural and regional economic development, transportation systems, resource utilization, and public finance and investment analysis. The deadline for submitting paper abstracts is December 15. Please send your abstract to Robert Gibbs, preferably via email at rgibbs@ers.usda.gov. You may also mail them to 1800 M Street NW, Room 2061, Washington, DC 20036-5831 (Tel. 202-694-5423).

Position Announcement: Texas Tech University, Asst/Assoc/Full Professor: Production Economics -- by October 15, 2001

Assistant / Associate / Full Professor, Production/Resource Economics; 9-month tenure track position. Available: January 1, 2002. Summer research/teaching opportunities are usually available. The candidate selected is expected to establish a nationally recognized program of teaching and research in the areas of production and resource economics. Experience in regional economics is desirable, but not required. The candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate classes in production economics with potential for teaching in other areas, in addition to establishing a research program. Ability to develop a successful teaching and research program and publish is necessary. Qualifications: Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, Economics, or related discipline. For full position announcement see http://www.aeco.ttu.edu. Application process: send a letter of application, vita (including a list of publications and evidence of teaching experience), and three letters of recommendation (to be received by the application deadline) to: Phillip Johnson, Search Committee Chair, Dept. of Agric. and Applied Economics, P.O. Box 42132, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79404-2132; phone (806) 742-2821; fax (806) 742-1099; e-mail phil.johnson@.ttu.edu. Application deadline is October 15, 2001, or until a suitable candidate is found. AA/EOE.

BALLOTS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY
DECEMBER 3, 2001 TO BE COUNTED.

Mail completed ballots to:
Bill Park
Dept. of Ag. Economics
321A Morgan Hall / P. O. Box 1071
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37901-1071

Important Deadlines and Dates

Nominations for Distinguished Sept. 28, 2001
Professional Contributions
Awards

Nominations for Lifetime Sept. 28, 2001
Achievement Awards

Quiz Bowl Applications Jan. 18, 2002

2002 SAEA Meeting Feb. 2-6, 2002
in Orlando Florida

See our website at www.saea.org for complete information on the calls for nominations for Distinguished Professional Contributions and Lifetime Achievement Awards (look under Newsletters, 2001, June)

Contact David Barber (Univ. of Florida) at dbarber@ufl.edu (352-392-1826 x214) for information on the 2002 Academic Quiz Bowl, including the application form for travel grants.

"Oops": Abstracts for Selected Papers and Organized Symposia from the 2001 SAEA Meetings were inadvertantly omitted from the August 2001 issue of the JAAE. They will be published in the upcoming December 2001 issue.