معرفی
Nick T. Place serves as Dean and Director of the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) since January 2021, leading an organization with over 2,500 faculty/staff and 2,000 students across Athens, Griffin, and Tifton campuses. Previously, he was Dean of Florida Cooperative Extension Service (2012-2020) and Associate Dean at University of Maryland Extension.
His educational background includes:
- Bachelor's in Dairy Husbandry from Delaware Valley College
- Master's in Dairy and Animal Science from Penn State University
- Doctorate in Agricultural and Extension Education from Penn State University
Place's research focuses on teaching methodologies and domestic/international extension systems driving youth engagement, community resilience, and economic growth in agricultural contexts. His $1.7 million in USDA and National Security Education Program grants supported work including restructuring Poland's agricultural extension system. He emphasizes experiential learning as critical for developing career-ready graduates who can innovate in precision agriculture, food science, and regenerative bioscience.
Under his leadership, CAES generated $686.3 million in Georgia's economy (2021), with $241.3M from teaching, $182.3M from research, and $262.6M from outreach. The college exceeded fundraising goals by 61% ($15.12M) while UGA Extension served all 159 counties with 1.2 million contacts and 97,000+ youth via 4-H programs. Major initiatives include the Poultry Science Complex and cross-disciplinary work in integrative precision agriculture addressing 70% global food production needs by 2050.
