Oklahoma State hires agricultural economist Jayson Lusk 

Oklahoma State University has appointed Jayson Lusk as vice president and dean of the university’s division of agricultural sciences and natural resources.

He will join from Purdue University where he was a distinguished professor and led that university’s agricultural economics department. Lusk was previously at Oklahoma State between 2005 and 2017, when he was first a professor of agricultural economics and Willard Sparks endowed chair, then subsequently a regents professor.

Lusk’s research focuses on what humans eat and why they eat it, and he has published on topics including food policy, consumer behavior, livestock and meat technology and marketing and on research methods. He has published 250 academic articles, six books and seven book chapters.

In the new role, Lusk will lead the Ferguson College of Agriculture, OSU Extension, and OSU Ag Research, which are all part of the university’s division of agricultural sicences and natural resources. He takes up the new appointment in August.

Commenting on the appointment, OSU Provost Jeanette Mendez said: “I am delighted that Dr. Lusk, a member of the Cowboy family, has chosen to return and lead the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources,”“Oklahoma State University is a national leader in agriculture, and I believe Dr. Lusk will continue to build on the strong foundation of retiring vice president and dean Dr. Tom Coon.”

In a blogpost, Lusk said: “I’m excited to announce that I will serve as the next Vice President and Dean of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University, beginning early August.”

He added: “It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the head of the Agricultural Economics Department at Purdue University, and I will miss my friends and colleagues in West Lafayette. Now it’s time for a new challenge.”