Steven C. Loerch Named Senior Associate Dean

He succeeds Barbara Christ, who retired after 33 years as a faculty member and administrator with the college.

Loerch previously worked at the University of Illinois, where he was professor and head of the Department of Animal Sciences, which has been highly ranked nationally. As senior associate dean, Loerch has broad, college-wide duties in planning, administration and implementation of programs; daily operations; budgets; safety; University policy and procedures; personnel; promotion and tenure; hiring and retention; facilities and land; external relations; and assistance for academic, regional, and support units of the college.

"I believe in the land-grant mission," says Loerch. "While many of our traditional stakeholders include those directly engaged in food production, relatively few people in our society raise crops, vegetables, fruits, and food animals. Our mission extends well beyond the farm and has huge impacts on the quality of life for all. Discovery research, education, and outreach in the agricultural sciences are critical to our entire society."

Loerch earned a bachelor's degree in animal industries at Penn State in 1977. He went on to earn master's and doctoral degrees, both in ruminant nutrition, from the University of Illinois. While serving as professor and department head at the University of Illinois, Loerch led 42 faculty members and approximately 400 employees, including students. Prior to his time at Illinois, he spent 33 years on the faculty at the Ohio State University.

--Amy Duke