LANSING — Dave Weatherspoon, professor in agriculture, food and resource economics, has been named associate dean for undergraduate studies in the office of the associate provost for undergraduate education at MSU. The Cassopolis High School graduate started in the position Jan. 1.

Weatherspoon’s role as an associate dean in APUE is to develop policy and lead projects that leverage MSU’s recruitment, admissions and financial aid resources to decrease opportunity gaps and improve graduation outcomes for all MSU students, according to MSU representatives. His work will coordinate efforts within the APUE and with the office of the associate provost for academic services, enrollment management and academic initiatives and with colleges all across campus.

“Over the last two and a half years, Dr. Weatherspoon has served an increasingly valuable role as advisor to the dean, first for my predecessor and more recently for me,” said Mark Largent, associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of undergraduate studies.  “His talents, personal and professional experiences, and commitment to undergraduate student success makes him a tremendously valuable leader for some very complex projects.  I am very happy that he has agreed to take on more responsibility in our office.”

As advisor to the dean in the office of the APUE since 2017, Weatherspoon has worked to utilize economic tools to reassess how students fund their higher educations and how MSU helps support students. His work has encouraged greater participation from a broader population and advanced the APUE’s commitment to access and equity for all students, officials said. Some of his projects have included analyses of the student loan burden for low income graduates and co-designing of an income share agreement lending program to provide alternatives for students to finance their education. He has also worked with colleges to expand the number of seats available in classes to help decrease students’ time to degree and increase student success. Weatherspoon has also evaluated and recommended changes in policy and pricing for dual enrollment students at MSU.

Weatherspoon will continue his appointment as a professor in the college of agriculture and natural resources where he teaches food industry marketing and industrial organization courses.  He has led agribusiness programs and numerous research and evaluation teams for the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, U.S. Agency for International Development, global research institutes and universities to address the gnarly problems that poverty represents to millions of people in over 30 countries.  His research on domestic and international food supply chain issues has been referenced in the literature and in the popular press; New York Times, Washington Post, Detroit Free Press, BBC, and the Associated Press. Currently, his research is focused on the economics of food access, nutrition and health.

Prior to coming to MSU, Weatherspoon was an assistant and then associate professor of agribusiness management at Florida A&M University. He hails from Vandalia and earned a bachelor of science in crop and soil science from MSU; a master of science. in agricultural economics from The Pennsylvania State University; and a doctorate food and esource economics from the University of Florida.