Welcome from the Head 

Right: Dr. Low in Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka with wild elephants; with economists and researchers in Sri Lanka along with the rest of the ACES delegation.
Right: Dr. Low in Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka with wild elephants; with economists and researchers in Sri Lanka along with the rest of the ACES delegation.  

Dear ACE Alumni & Friends, 

This semester was full of highs and lows for the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE). Stories in this newsletter focus on some of the highs, but I’d be remiss if I did not mention a low – the closure of the Soybean Innovation Laboratory, located in the National Soybean Research Center building on campus, and part of the Department of ACE. The lab was funded by grants originating from the U.S. Agency for International Development and was de-funded by the Federal government early this semester. Principal Investigator Dr. Peter Goldsmith secured a $1M donation to continue small portions of the lab this year, but the majority of the lab closed in mid-April. SIL’s closure is a loss for ACE, Illinois’ soybean industry and market development, and the world. For example, I was in Sri Lanka in November (pictured) meeting with government, extension and research leaders to discuss modernizing their soybean production so they can produce more eggs as a protein source for domestic children. SIL was an important part of that work, which is now cancelled.   

It is important to celebrate ACE’s long history of impactful international work related to international agricultural development, so we have dedicated this edition of the Alumni & Friends Newsletter to our most current related work! Illinois was one of the first U.S. universities awarded a large contract to develop colleges of agriculture, beginning in India in 1952. Agricultural Economics faculty members were involved in several efforts to create land-grant-like universities, many serving multi-year assignments abroad. These faculty members taught the first courses in Development Economics upon their return to Urbana. Funding through USAID contracts, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation provided funding for international graduate students in Agricultural Economics. This information was from A History of Agricultural Economics at Illinois, 1932-2007. We will send a free copy upon request to anyone who donates to the ACE Academic Excellence Fund!  

Please keep reading to learn more about our undergraduate students taking advantage of international opportunities, our graduate students doing hands-on work internationally, staff participating in global programs, faculty researching important issues related to international development, and alumni pursuing solutions to international challenges in their work. This semester, we hosted at Illinois the Midwest International Development Conference with sponsorship and leadership from ACE, and a current ACE undergraduate was an Illinois International Achievement recipient in April – David Mock. Keep reading to learn more about our high-impact international work and learn how to engage with the department.  

Best regards, 

Sarah Low, professor & head, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics 

News from Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Program Update

Students in ACE 436: Intl Business Immersion who traveled to downtown Chicago for a day of company visits and networking with alumni.
Students in ACE 436: Intl Business Immersion who traveled to downtown Chicago for a day of company visits and networking with alumni.

Greetings from ACE Undergraduate Programs! Our office has remained busy this spring supporting a record-breaking 820 undergraduate students as they continue learning, serving, and growing at Illinois. These phenomenal students have provided us with much to celebrate as they land jobs and internships with the Big 4 accounting firms, leading companies in the agricultural industry, and legislators at the local and national levels. They have also traveled with faculty and staff to meet alumni in Chicago, Springfield, and Washington, D.C., and a small group is eagerly anticipating meeting their international colleagues in Peru in May. Many students were recognized with scholarships and awards, one of whom will be featured in this newsletter for his national and international impacts throughout his undergraduate career. Last and certainly not least, join us in congratulating the roughly 175 ACE seniors who will be graduating this spring and entering into a range of careers and graduate schools throughout the country and around the globe. We are proud of the well-rounded, globally-minded leaders we will be sending out into the world! 

Check out some of the exciting news coming out of Undergraduate Programs in ACE!

ACE academic advisor participates in U. of I.'s Staff Global Exchange Program: https://aces.illinois.edu/news/ace-academic-advisor-participates-u-staf…

Illinois International awardees include two with ties to ACES: https://aces.illinois.edu/news/illinois-international-awardees-include-…

ACES students among top global contenders in agribusiness challenge: https://aces.illinois.edu/news/aces-students-among-top-global-contender…

News from Graduate Programs

Graduate Program Update

Students leading the Graduate Student Organization were recognized at the Graduate Student Research Celebration in January.
Students leading the Graduate Student Organization were recognized at the Graduate Student Research Celebration in January.

As we near the end of the semester, we are looking forward to our annual ACE Graduate Graduation Celebration on May 16, where we will celebrate our spring and summer graduates from the graduate program! This spring we have 15 graduates – 7 PhD, 4 MS, and 4 MAAE – and potentially 9 additional summer graduates – 8 PhD and 1 MS. We are extremely proud of our graduates and wish them well in their next chapter!

Our admissions cycle for Fall 2025 has already seen great success and we are excited to welcome another cohort in the fall! Moving forward, Sandy Dall’Erba will be stepping down as the Director of Graduate Studies. We want to thank Professor Dall’Erba for acting in the role of Director of Graduate Studies for the last two years. His leadership and insight have been invaluable to the program’s mission. In this transition period, Nick Paulson will be acting as interim DGS.

 

Graduate Student Publications

We are incredibly proud of the publications our graduate students completed in 2024! Please check out the incredible research they are publishing.  

Publications

Research/Outreach

Our faculty and students are leading innovative research, outreach, and education programs in Illinois and around the world. They address challenges, seek solutions, and build awareness every day. Check out a few of our recent research & outreach stories below.

Hybrid job training improves participation for women in Nepal, study finds: https://aces.illinois.edu/news/hybrid-job-training-improves-participati…

$1M gift to keep Soybean Innovation Lab operational after USAID closure: https://aces.illinois.edu/news/1m-gift-keep-soybean-innovation-lab-oper…

How media impacts digital technology adoption in U.S. and Brazilian agriculture: https://aces.illinois.edu/news/how-media-impacts-digital-technology-ado…

Stay in the Know

Want to keep up with our research? Make sure to follow us on social media, visit our refreshed research and outreach pages, and keep an eye on ACES News to read about new and impactful research coming out of ACE!  

ACE in the News Research & Outreach

Alumni News

Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Bhavani Shankar, 1998 Ph.D. alum from ACE
Dr. Bhavani Shankar, 1998 Ph.D. alum from ACE

Dr. Bhavani Shankar, a 1998 ACE Ph.D. alum, was recently honored with the prestigious Gates Foundation Goalkeeper Champion Award. Shankar was selected for his work in increasing access and affordability of nutrient dense foods to rural markets. The theme of the 2024 Goalkeeper Champion Awards was recognizing individuals whose work is leading the charge towards a more nourished world - a theme which fits the work of Dr. Shankar perfectly. Shankar is currently a Professorial Research Fellow in Food Systems, Nutrition and Sustainability at the University of Sheffield. His career is dedicated to the pursuit of nutrition and equitable food systems, leveraging interdisciplinary collaborations to shape the food system and deliver better nutrition outcomes in low-income populations in the context of climate change.

Read More

How to Engage

Be sure to check out our alumni webpage to see ways that you can engage with ACE as an alum. From volunteering your time in the classroom to connecting with student organizations to attending events, there are ways for everyone. Not seeing what you’re looking for? Fill out our engagement interest form and tell us how you’d like to connect!

Learn More

Giving

If you are interested in giving a financial gift to the department, the easiest way to do this is go to the ACE giving site and select the amount for the fund(s) you’d like to give to (e.g. Academic Excellence Fund, Graduate Student Travel Fund, etc.). When you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see the total gift amount for the selected funds. Click “continue” in orange at the bottom of the page. This will jump you to the UIF giving page and your selections will auto populate at the top so that you can fill in your personal information and finalize your gift. 

Give to ACE