Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Historical State Timelines
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Please note that some historical materials may contain harmful content and/or descriptions. Learn how we’re addressing it.

1890s

1897 Agricultural economics curriculum established

1920s

1922 Ricks Hall opened

Ricks Hall, built by Thomas Wright Cooper and G. Murray Nelson, opened to house the Agricultural Extension Service, agricultural economics and business, agricultural information, and horticulture departments. It was named for Robert Henry Ricks.

Ricks HallRicks Hall
1923 Agricultural administration curriculum established

A four-year program in agricultural administration was created within the Department of Business Administration.

1923 G. W. Forster hired

G. W. Forster was hired as a professor of agricultural economics. He eventually became department head and served until 1950.

Dr. G. W. Forster portraitDr. G. W. Forster portrait
1927 Department of Agricultural Economics established

Agricultural administration curriculum became a full department and was named the Department of Agricultural Economics.

1930s

circa 1930 Rural Sociology Department merged

The Rural Sociology Department merged with the Agricultural Economics Department. The result of this merger was the creation of the Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Department.

1940s

1949 Women faculty increased

Twenty-two women were listed on the faculty, most at the instructor or laboratory technician level. Departments with more than one woman employee included English (six), statistics (three), textiles (three), and modern languages (two). Women were also on the faculty in architecture, agricultural economics, mathematics, physics, social studies, chemistry, engineering, research, and agronomy.

1950s

1950 H. Brooks James became department head

H. Brooks James becomes department head and served in the position until 1957.

H. Brooks James portraitH. Brooks James portrait
1957 C. E. Bishop became department head

C. E. Bishop became department head and served in the position until 1966.

Charles E. Bishop portraitCharles E. Bishop portrait
1959 Jim Hunt graduated

James "Jim" B. Hunt Jr. graduated. He later earned a MS in 1962. He became the 69th (1977-1985) and 71st (1993-2001) governor of North Carolina, making him the state's longest serving chief executive.

1960s

1965 Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology merged

The Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology merged with the Department of Economics, keeping the latter name.

1967 W. D. Toussaint became department head

W. D. Toussaint became department head and served in the position until 1981.

1980s

1981 Dale M. Hoover became department head

Dale M. Hoover became department head and served in the position until 1990.

1990s

1990 Economics and sociology programs split into separate departments
1990 Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics created

The new Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics was created in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

1990-1991 Ronald Schrimper became interim department head
1991 Jon Brandt became department head

Jon Brandt became department head and served in the position until 2012.

2010s

2013 Charles Safley became department head