College of ACESThe idea hit Bill Condon during a morning shave. The '61 graduate, Presidents Council member, and former ACES Alumni Association district 1 director, decided to pitch the idea of preserving the history of agricultural economics to his home department. Living the belief that the past inspires and guides the future, Condon feels it is important to record the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economic's (ACE) history and course of change to help inspire and attract students and faculty.
"This college is charged with the duty to preserve and record as much history as possible through personal interviews and archived documents before this wealth of institutional knowledge evaporates," said Senior Development Officer Barry Dickerson who worked with Condon on the fund agreement
The department began with a predominant research, Extension, and teaching interest in farm management. The agricultural-economics dimension within the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics now spans many different topics involving agribusiness management, international agriculture, environmental and natural resources, agricultural finance, accounting, marketing, law, and policy and offers eight different undergraduate concentrations.
The history of the department's influence is marked by a strong international scope. USAID funding initiated the university's work internationally in the early 1960s when the department took a special interest in institution building through its international agriculture branch. It has fielded several leaders for efforts in India, Kenya, Pakistan, Zambia, and Sierra Leone, and currently has similar projects in Afghanistan and Egypt.
The evolving changes in the department was a challenge for Theresa Miller, BS Ag Com '96, MS Ag Ed '00, a visiting media communications specialist undertook the task to write this history. She started by expanding the 50th anniversary publication Milestones and Memories, a 60-page document of reflections, coursework, and photographs compiled by Professor Emeritus Franklin J. Reiss. Miller augmented this document with a compilation of archived materials and a series of faculty interviews.
The crop sciences and agricultural engineering departments also have documented histories and it is the eventual hope that these combined efforts can lead to a collegewide historical publication. This could later be conveyed into enhanced marketing efforts, recruitment tools, and an eventual showcase of Illinois talent and contributions displayed on campus.
In his inaugural speech, President White said, "In a nutshell, the university is high achieving, under-recognized, and under-resourced." The College of ACES, thanks to Bill Condon, will be able to advance the recognition and promotion of the largest College of ACES department by student enrollment through this important work.
