New professor named at UAPB agriculture school
Christopher Mathis Jr. was appointed professor and assistant dean of research for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences.
Most recently, he was director of student development and support at South Carolina State University at Orangeburg, according to a news release.
At UAPB, he will report to the dean of the school and support the management of the Evans-Allen Research Program, capacity-building grants, which are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and other projects.
Evans-Allen research is the foundation of the agricultural research programs at all 1890 historically black land-grant college and universities. Research projects at UAPB have been conducted in areas including improved agriculture production, animal husbandry, youth development, agronomy, agricultural marketing, economic development, poultry sciences, fisheries, entomology and horticulture, according to the release.
Mathis will be responsible for providing administrative leadership for these projects, which includes coordinating reviews, submission evaluations and publications. He will ensure Evans-Allen and grants reports are submitted in a timely manner and assist in developing and monitoring faculty research budgets.
Mathis joins UAPB after having served in several leadership roles at South Carolina State. As director of student development and support, he took the lead in writing the South Carolina State 1890 Agricultural Innovation Scholarship grant and oversaw the implementation of the 1890 Ag Innovations Scholars Program.
Mathis served as associate research director of the 1890 Research and Extension Program twice while at S.C. State. In that role, he provided administrative support to the executive director in the management and operation of the Evans-Allen Research Program and administrative and program leadership to research programs in agriculture, as well as to graduate and undergraduate students who were employed by Evans-Allen funds.
From 2010-2019, Mathis was senior research director for the Center of Agricultural Systems, Food Production, Safety and Security. In that position, he developed and oversaw the implementation of an outcomes-based work plan for undergraduate and graduate students who worked for 1890 researchers. He assisted in coordinating proposal planning, reviews, and full project development and implementation for research. He was also the founder and adviser for the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences organization.
In addition, Mathis served as the interim associate vice president for research/chief administrator for 1890 Research and Extension, under the leadership of Saundra Glover, former vice president for research at S.C. State, in 2006.
“We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Mathis join our team in SAFHS,” Doze Y. Butler, dean/director, of the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences at UAPB, said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge gained from his many years at South Carolina
State University. His commitment to the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in research will also benefit us greatly.”
Mathis has a doctorate in agriculture and extension education and a master’s degree in educational administration and higher education from Michigan State University. His bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in chemistry, is from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.
He has been published in several book chapters, monographs, peer reviewed journal publications, proceedings and symposia; authored and co-authored grants; and edited books on a variety of educational and agricultural topics. He has taken part in numerous conferences and professional development activities including several international experiences related to agricultural education, awareness in agriculture careers, agriculture, education and public landgrant universities.
He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Quality of Life Award, Partnering to Secure the Future, 1890 Research and Extension; Outstanding Leadership and Service Award of the Professional Agricultural Worker Conference; and the National Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Science Award.
He is a member of the American Association of Agricultural Education, Association of Advancement of Educational Research, Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Tuskegee University Professional Agricultural Worker Conference advisory board.