Greg GilpinIt is my pleasure to introduce the Fall 2021 newsletter and highlight some of the incredible individuals and events occurring in the DAEE. Congratulations to our 17 fall graduating students for their hard work and perseverance in achieving their degrees through this pandemic. The DAEE recognizes the two outstanding seniors honored this fall: Troy Andersen (Agricultural Business) and Allison Onoszko (Economics). They have demonstrated excellence in their studies and we are very proud of them.

DAEE students were also recognized for excellence. Alec Fluer, Jordyn Lucier, and Kade Sciuchetti achieved high scores on our annual Dave Buschena Scholarship Competition. Molly DelCurto was awarded the 2021 Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award from the AAEA. Emily Hoslscher-Hull, a junior minoring in economics, became the first MSU student selected for a national toxicology mentorship program.

It is with condolences that I announce the passing of Jayson Arnold, an agricultural business major from Fullerton California. Jayson was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. There is a GoFundMe set up for support in his memory included in these pages.

I also announce the passing of Dr. Rick Stroup, Professor Emeritus of Economics and former department head of the DAEE. Rick joined the DAEE in 1969 with expertise resource economics and free-market environmentalism. In 1980, Dr. Stroup helped found the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC).  He is widely published and a frequent speaker on economics, natural resources, and environmental issues.

Faculty highlights include Drs. Belasco and Gilpin being promoted to full professor and Professor Emeritus Myles Watts receiving the Prime Award by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle for his impact in the Gallatin Valley. Also, Dr. Carrera was named as faculty research fellow by the National Bureau of Economic Research;
Dr. Goetting was awarded the AARP Outstanding Individual Community Partner; and Dr. Urban has been accepted to the TIAA Institute Fellows Program.

We wish a fond farewell to Dr. Randy Rucker who has stepped into retirement this summer and achieves Professor Emeritus status. Randy was a faculty member in the DAEE for three decades and spent more than 20 years as chair of our graduate committee. He has chaired or been a member of over 40 thesis committees and has had amassed a prolific research portfolio related to environmental, property rights, and natural resources topics. Randy has also taught children’s taekwondo for about 25 years (including my own four children) and coached over 700 youth basketball games!

We wish a fond farewell to Mariah Stopplecamp and Denise Hoepfner and extend a warm welcome to Emme Demmendaal, our new Business Operation Manager.

The faculty and staff express our appreciation to the students for demonstrating their grit and perseverance during these challenging times. You have met our expectations and have become experts of versatility and resilience.