Jayson L. Lusk
STILLWATER — Dr. Jayson L. Lusk has been named vice president and dean of Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
Following a national search, Lusk was selected to provide leadership for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, OSU Extension and OSU Ag Research. The OSU/A&M Board of Regents granted interim approval for the appointment.
OSU Provost Dr. Jeanette Mendez said Lusk earned the position over a pool of well-qualified candidates.
“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,” Mendez said. “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.
“As part of the systemwide strategy OSU unveiled in October 2022, the university has a focus on fighting food insecurity with the concept of using research to help ‘nourish the world.’ Dr. Lusk’s background in partnering technology and agriculture dovetails perfectly with OSU’s commitment to leveraging research and innovation to improve the world’s food shortage issues.”
Lusk worked for the university from 2005 to 2017, first as an agricultural economics professor and Willard Sparks Endowed Chair and later as a regents professor. Since his departure, he has served as a distinguished professor and Agricultural Economics department head at Purdue University. He has published more than 270 articles in peer-reviewed journals and five books on the topic of agricultural research and innovation.
In August, Lusk will begin his duties leading OSU Agriculture. He will oversee academic programs as well as OSU’s statewide Extension research program, where he will head agricultural research efforts in Stillwater and throughout Oklahoma.
Lusk also will lead the move-in and transition to the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, a $115 million state-of-the-art teaching, research and Extension facility for OSU Agriculture. Construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2024.
Lusk said he is eager to come back to the university and be part of its advancement.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to come home to a place where I worked for 13 years and help build on the foundation in place to move the college and our state forward,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to make an impact and to make a difference. It’s also a place where the students, faculty and staff are doing good things, and OSU Agriculture is well positioned with support of alumni and stakeholders to have an even bigger impact in Oklahoma and beyond.”
Agricultural production in Oklahoma – which includes crops, livestock and forestry – accounts for approximately $7.7 billion per year.
Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture and member of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents Blayne Arthur is excited to welcome Lusk back to OSU.
“Dr. Lusk is well-known across the country and will bring a unique perspective and passion to this position, Lusk said. “The work of OSU Agriculture faculty and staff, along with the leadership team, is essential to the success of the Oklahoma agriculture industry. I am looking forward to his return to Stillwater and seeing how Dr. Lusk’s vision helps further Oklahoma agriculture.”
Lusk earned a bachelor’s degree in food technology from Texas Tech University and a doctorate in agricultural economics from Kansas State University. He has held positions at Mississippi State University and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research.
He has received numerous awards including the Borlaug Communication Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology and the Lu Ann Aday Award, which is Purdue University’s most prestigious research award in the humanities and social sciences.
Lusk has served on the executive committee of the USDA National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. He also is a fellow and past president of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.