Jefferson Miller, U of A faculty member since 2001, has been named assistant dean for international programs in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, effective March 1, by Dean Jeff Edwards.

He will continue in his role as a professor of agricultural communications in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology.

Miller has extensive experience in leading and coordinating international programs. His current research and projects include establishing an agricultural communications academic discipline in the United Kingdom.

He recently completed a research fellowship at the U of A Rome Center where he worked on curriculum for the agricultural communications program as well as development of an agriculture-focused study tour in the UK.

"This situation was nearly ideal for me because the previous leaders of our international program efforts—Vicky Watkins, who is staying on as the IPO director, and (retired) Assistant Dean Lisa Wood before her—really left things in excellent shape," said Miller. "First, I want to just maintain and strengthen our college's portfolio of faculty-led study abroad experiences. We also want to work on developing more study-abroad scholarship funding to help make international experiences more accessible for all our students."

He has helped develop and lead the growth of the agricultural communications concentration since its inception in 2001, and created the Ag Communications Experiential Learning Lab, which employs undergraduate and graduate students who produce communications materials for clients.

Miller leads a semi-annual multi-university study tour in the UK focused on agricultural communications, and has conducted ongoing research on news media coverage of agricultural issues.

In addition, he has led agricultural research and service projects abroad in multiple developing countries, including Rwanda, Uganda and Haiti. He is also developing a new project in Rwanda focused on sustainable agriculture.

"We are excited to have Dr. Miller step into this new role," Edwards said. "Study abroad experiences are frequently life-changing for our students and students generally list study abroad as a highlight of their undergraduate experience. Our goal is to increase access to study abroad through fundraising and Dr. Miller will be a major part of this effort."

He has served as managing editor of the Journal of Applied Communications and as the treasurer of both the Association of Communications Excellence and the National Agricultural Communicators of Applied Communications.

Miller was named an ACE Fellow in 2024, has served as president of the Bumpers College faculty and served three terms as the college's curriculum committee chair.

He has been recipient of the college's Jack Justus Outstanding Teaching Award and the John W. White Award of Excellence in Teaching. He is a fellow in the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy and was a finalist for the academy's Baum Teaching Award. He also received the college's Alumni Society Outstanding Advising Award, the University Gold Medal Award for mentoring, the ACE's Award of Excellence for Academic Programs, the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture teaching award, and was twice the college's nominee for the USDA outstanding teaching award.

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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 $3 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 few 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 and Economic Development News.