Title: Trustee Chair in Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor
Company: Purdue University
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Dr. Jay Akridge, trustee chair in teaching and learning excellence and professor at Purdue University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in academia.
With nearly four decades of experience, Dr. Akridge has built a distinguished career in strategic management and higher education, focusing on food and agricultural business, agricultural economics, and leadership development. Since 2023, he has served as the trustee chair in teaching and learning excellence at Purdue University, where he has been a professor since 1997, teaching strategic management, agricultural leadership, and career courses while conducting research on human talent in agriculture, technology adoption among farmers, and the future of higher education. His experience at Purdue includes roles as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity from 2017 to 2022, Glenn W. Sample dean of agriculture from 2008 to 2017, and interim vice provost for engagement from 2007 to 2008. Additionally, he directed the MS-MBA in Food and Agribusiness Management and the Center for Food and Agricultural Business, serving as both an associate and assistant professor from 1986 onward. He has also served on the boards of Ag Alumni Seed, Big Ten Academic Alliance, Agriculture Future of America, and AgriNovus Indiana, and held advisory roles with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana Farm Bureau Environmental Services, and DirectAg.com.
As provost, Dr. Akridge spearheaded an undergraduate enrollment growth initiative, generating a 23% increase in enrollment, and developed the “Roadmap for Transformative Undergraduate Education,” a strategic plan for undergraduate advancement. She co-led the Equity Task Force, a $75 million initiative to improve the representation and success of Black students. As dean, he crafted two strategic plans, integrating a strategic planning process into annual unit reviews. Under her leadership, the College of Agriculture achieved a global ranking of number 8 in the 2017 QS World University Rankings. He secured $20 million to launch the Purdue Plant Sciences Institute and initiated a facilities master plan, which funded major projects such as the ADM Innovation Center, the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center, Creighton Hall for Animal Sciences, and the Land O’Lakes Experiential Learning Center. As a faculty member, he founded the Purdue-Kelley Master of Science-Master of Business Administration in food and agribusiness management in 1999, an online program for industry professionals, and directed the Center for Food and Agricultural Business from 2000 to 2007, which provided professional development through fee-based activities and grants. His contributions to the field include over 450 publications, covering books, journal articles, case studies, and more on food and agribusiness management.
In light of his impressive undertakings, Dr. Akridge received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Murray State University in 2019, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Outstanding Leadership Award in 2017, the Indiana Lieutenant Governor’s AgriVision Award and the Indiana Farm Bureau President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership, both in 2017. Additional accolades include the Murray State University Outstanding Agriculture Alumnus Award in 2005, the USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Award in the Food and Agricultural Sciences for the North Central Region in 2003, and induction into Purdue’s Book of Great Teachers in 2003. He was also recognized as a university faculty scholar in 2000 and received the Charles B. Murphy Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching in 1996 and the USDA Unit Award for Distinguished Service in 1992.
Laying a strong educational foundation, Dr. Akridge earned a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and business administration from Murray State University in 1982, a Master of Science in agricultural economics from Purdue University in 1983, and a PhD in agricultural economics from Purdue University in 1986. He attributes his success to the values instilled by supportive parents and the experience of growing up in a family business, which fostered respect for others, dedication, seizing opportunities, self-reliance, and hard work. In the coming years, he plans to focus on human capital and leadership issues within the food and agricultural industries and on the future of higher education. A significant part of his work will involve launching a new leadership program and course in the College of Agriculture, addressing the critical need to understand and meet human capital demands in the agricultural sector.
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