The College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University is pleased to announce Dr. Jennifer Alix-Garcia as its new Sustainability Degree Program Director following an internal search.
“Jen is an accomplished economist whose work has been widely recognized as integral in making important policy decisions related to sustainability,” explained Dr. Alan Sams, dean of the college. “Her passion for this important effort along with her strong leadership skills as the head of the Applied Economics department make her an ideal fit for this position.”
The sustainability degree program director is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of the sustainability curriculum, development of new courses and delivery methods, and current and future affiliated offerings in Corvallis, Ecampus, and Cascades campuses. The Director collaborates with faculty directing the day-to-day operation of the program at affiliated campuses and with other academic programs across all OSU campus sites.
“I am incredibly excited to take on this role and lead an effort that has been a defining preoccupation of my career,” Alix-Garcia said. “Defining and growing our sustainability curriculum so that future generations can lead this critical work is both a profound challenge and an inspiring opportunity.”
Alix-Garcia is a microeconomist with interests in economic development and the environment. Her work includes analysis of land use change and policies to address it, the impacts of forced migration, and the use of satellite data in economic analysis. She is presently the editor of the leading journal in environmental and resource economics – the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. She received a Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from UC Berkeley in 2005, and has since worked at the University of Montana, the University of San Francisco, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In addition to her role as the new Sustainability Degree Program Director, Alix-Garcia will also continue as a full professor and department head of the Department of Applied Economics.