Robert A. Easter
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Robert A. Easter | |
|---|---|
| 19th President of the University of Illinois System | |
| In office July 2, 2012 – May 17, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Hogan |
| Succeeded by | Timothy L. Killeen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 23, 1947[citation needed] |
| Education | Texas A&M University (BA)(MA) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army Reserve |
| Years of service | 1972–1992 |
| Rank | Major |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Animal science |
| Institutions | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Thesis | Evaluation of dietary arginine, histidine, leucine and tryptophan for pregnancy in swine (1976) |
| Doctoral advisor | D.H. Baker |
Robert A. Easter (born October 23, 1947)[citation needed] is an American animal scientist and university professor who served as the 19th president of the University of Illinois system from 2012 until 2015.[1]
Easter was born on October 23, 1947 in southwest Texas,[citation needed] where he was raised on a grain and livestock farm in La Pryor.[2] His grandfather was a homesteader.[3]
Easter graduated from La Pryor High School in 1966. From there, he enrolled in Texas A&M University, planning on pursuing a career in law.[3] However, after working with legislators one summer, he was convinced by a colleague to focus on his knowledge of swine and agriculture.
In 1970, Easter graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor's degree in Agriculture Education before continuing his education at A&M earning a master's degree in Animal Nutrition.[4]
In the winter of 1973, Easter and his wife Cheryl traveled to Urbana, Illinois for Easter to pursue a PhD program at the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The couple planned to return to Texas once Robert's PhD program was complete.[3] Easter earned his PhD in Animal Science in 1976.[2][5]
As a graduate student, Easter excelled, catching the attention of the college's faculty. When a lecturer left Illinois to take a job at Purina, the position was offered to Easter, who declined a position at Texas A&M to take the spot at Illinois.[3] The faculty member who left was recruited by then-executive at Purina, Ed McMillan, who would later become chair of the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees in 2015.[6][7]
Academic career
Freshly out of graduate school, Easter began his career at the University of Illinois in the fall semester of 1976 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences.[4] By 1987, Easter had been promoted to a full professor, and 7 years later, in 1995, he was named the head of the Department of Animal Sciences.[2][4][8] As department head, he played a major role in the construction of the Funk Agriculture library.[8][9]
Easter's research focused on swine agriculture, and in 1997, he co-authored a book on the pork industry of China, an agricultural staple he traveled to study most summers during his tenure at Illinois.
In 2002, Easter was named as dean of the College of ACES.[2][8]
In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Easter to the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD), of which he became chair the following year.[2][5]
