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US College Names Nigeria’s Okechukwu Ukaga New Associate Dean of Food and Agriculture

Dr. Okechukwu Ukaga

Riverland Community College has announced that Dr. Okechukwu Ukaga began his new position as associate dean of Food and Agriculture.

Start date for the new position was June 15.

Ukaga holds a post-graduate diploma in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nigeria, a master’s degree in Education, an MBA from Florida A&M University, and a doctorate in Extension Education from Pennsylvania State University.

He held two major positions at the University of Minnesota from 2007 until 2023: assistant dean, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, professor, and executive director of the U of M’s Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships.

Okechukwu, also known as Okey, will begin supervising the Farm Business Management, Agri-Business, Agri-Science, and Food Science Faculty in July. He will also serve as the lead administrator for the Future of Advanced Agricultural Research in Minnesota (FAARM) project and the grant manager for The Hormel Foundation Center for Agriculture and Food Science Technology grant.

FAARM is a collaboration between Riverland Community College and the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences to investigate the development of a world-class animal agriculture research complex that will meet an important market need by assisting farmers and industry in meeting this critical moment in sustainable food production.

“I am confident that Ukaga’s extensive background will benefit the advancement of our Center of Agriculture and Food Science Technology,” said Adenuga Atewologun, president of Riverland Community College. “The bright future of FAARM and other Food and Ag programming open the doors of access and opportunity to expand our workforce, and to shape a new generation of researchers, existing and emerging farmers, and entrepreneurs who will solve problems that impact food production, soil and animal health, natural resources, and economic success.”

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