Distinguished Scholar: Dr. Dana Hoag
Earns WAEA Award
Presented by the Western AGRICULTURAL Economics Association
"He has made award winning contributions in all three missions of a land grant university," comments John Loomis, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and 2004 WAEA Distinguished Scholar. In his nomination of Dr. Dana Hoag to the Western Agricultural Economics Association, Loomis continues, "Dr. Hoag is a prolific and insightful scholar."
Earning Top Honors
Since 2003, the Distinguished Scholar award has been designed to recognize a leader in the industry who, in the words of the association, has made an "enduring contribution over their career to agriculture, resource, and/or environmental economics in the Western state and provinces and the WAEA." This is the highest recognition for such individuals.
Certain criteria have been established by the organization to seek out individuals qualified to receive such a distinguished honor. They are:
- Basic and applied economics research
- Integration of knowledge (textbook writing or synthetic reviews)
- Service or outreach drawing on economic expertise
- Teaching (undergraduate and/or graduate)
- Administration (institution and/or WAEA)
Turning Heads
Hoag has authored or coauthored five books, which Loomis comments, is unique for this specific profession. "The authoring of five books distinguishes Dr. Hoag from the vast majority of agricultural economists (and economists in general) who rarely author books. These books allow Dr. Hoag to develop a greater depth of analysis on each topic than is ever possible in a journal article or even a series of journal articles". That's not to say that Hoag hasn't published any journal articles. In fact, he's published more than 50 of them.
Making the Grade
Recognizing Hoag's insightful economical analysis and vast knowledge was only a portion of his honor. Hoag posses a unique characteristic that sets him beyond the rest: his unique ability to carry his insight and knowledge into the classroom.
"Dr. Hoag conveys his enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of agricultural economics to undergraduate and graduate students alike," says Loomis. In 2006, Hoag won the CSU Distinguished Academic Advisor Award. He also won the WAEA Undergraduate Teacher Award in 2004, along with additional and equally prestigious teaching awards in 2003 and 1998.
A Colorado State Legacy
Earning both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Colorado State University in Farm and Ranch Management and Agricultural Economics respectively, Hoag enrolled at Washington State University and completed his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 1984. Since then, Hoag has worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, for North Carolina State University, and then, beginning in 1993, for Colorado State University.