Kemper Named Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Assistant Department Head

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Nathan Kemper, a two-time U of A graduate, has been a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness since 2014.

Associate professor Nathan Kemper has been named assistant department head for undergraduate programs and online instruction for the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Kemper, who is also the departmental undergraduate and internship program coordinator, is a two-time U of A graduate. He earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Missouri State University in 2001, his master's degree in agricultural economics in 2005 and his Ph.D. in public policy and food policy economics in 2016, both from the U of A.

"I am fortunate to be a two-time graduate of this great university," Kemper said. "This place changed my life, and I am grateful for all of the wonderful things and people that are a part of my life because of this campus. I met some of my best friends here; I met my wife here, and I continue to meet great students who challenge me to improve each day. As a faculty member and in my new role as assistant department head, I have the opportunity to give back to the campus that has given so much to me."

In this position, he supports department head John Anderson by providing leadership and management of the undergraduate program, and in planning, development and delivery of new and existing online content. Kemper, who began his new role in August, chairs the undergraduate program committee, schedules courses and advises Anderson on teaching assignments, works with the administrative staff in reporting to the dean's office, represents AEAB on the college curriculum committee, and identifies strategy for improving undergraduate program content, student recruitment and retention efforts.

"Dr. Kemper is an outstanding scholar and one of the most dedicated and gifted teachers that I have been privileged to work with in my career," Anderson said. "He continually looks for ways to improve the quality of our program as well as the student experience in our department. He is an expert in the development of high-quality online content, and that expertise has been absolutely vital to our success as a department during the pandemic. Dr. Kemper's proven record of commitment to students and innovation in curriculum development and delivery make him ideally suited for this new role in the department."

Kemper is leading the development and implementation of additional online offerings for both undergraduate and graduate students. Most recently, he has developed a plan to create a new agribusiness concentration in the area of agribusiness risk management, to be available 100 percent online. The department is home of the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence, which provides analysis and education on issues of price risk management in agriculture, finance and energy.

Kemper is also working across multiple U of A colleges to coordinate online offerings, oversee and promote programs, and working with Global Campus on program and course development and management.

His research interests focus on food policy economics, survey research methods, choice experiments and teaching methods. He has served as faculty adviser to the Agricultural Business Club and the Academic Quiz Bowl team since 2014.

Kemper has also coordinated the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers regional program for the Cooperative Extension Service. The program provided training, business planning consultation and cash payments to Southern farmers and fishermen in industries negatively impacted by U.S. trade policy.

Kemper, who received the Bumpers College Alumni Society Outstanding Advising Award in 2020 and the Gamma Sigma Delta 2020 Teaching Award of Merit, has held positions with Deutsche Bank, with the U of A System Division of Agriculture and with American Express Financial Advisors.

He was a research associate for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station from 2005-10 and with the Cooperative Extension Service from 2010-14. He joined the AEAB faculty as an instructor in 2014, became an assistant professor in 2017 and associate professor in 2020.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.