David C. Petritz, Associate Dean and Director Cooperative Extension Service and Associate Vice-Provost for University Engagement at Purdue University in Indiana has been selected to receive the 2007 National Distinguished Service Ruby. He will deliver the prestigious Ruby Lecture during the Ruby Luncheon on Thursday, September 13th, at the 2007 ESP National Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. His distinguished Extension career has certainly helped set a new standard for Extension programming nationwide.
The Distinguished Service Ruby is the highest and most prestigious recognition presented by Epsilon Sigma Phi and is designed to recognize truly outstanding thinking, performance and leadership in Cooperative Extension. His ESP colleagues in Indiana wrote "Dr Petritz is a visionary leader who is not afraid to ask "why?" and who works to improve any endeavor. He is a committed, caring, serving individual who continually puts others needs before his own."Dr. Petritz started his 35 year career with Purdue Extension in 1972 as a faculty member in Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics as an Extension Agricultural Economist. In 1982 he was appointed as Assistant Department Head for Extension in the Department of Agricultural Economics. In 1989, he became the Assistant Director of Purdue Extension and ANR Program Leader. In 1999, he was named Associate Dean and Director for Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service. In 2004, Associate Vice-Provost for University Engagement was added to his responsibilities. Dr. Petritz holds a BS, MS and PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in Agricultural Economics.
One of Dr. Petritz's strengths is his strong commitment to seeking solutions for any problem. With his leadership, position descriptions, performance reviews, reporting and promotion documents were revised and aligned; the first Extension IRB (Human Subjects) committee in the nation was established; and diversity education for staff became a priority. His vision created issue based teams for critical land use education with the Land Use Team and entrepreneurship with the New Ventures Team. Dr. Petritz's commitment to engagement created linkages between the University and its colleges, as well as counties, when he coordinated visits to over 70 percent of Indiana counties with Purdue University President Martin Jischke. As an advocate of leadership development he devoted time and financial resources to improve the PCARET volunteer organization and educators' skills.
Dr. Petritz made and continues to make significant contributions to the Indiana agricultural population. He was effective in addressing the needs of farm families facing farm financial difficulties, which combined the efforts of the College of Agriculture, College of Consumer and Family Sciences, and the School of Veterinary Medicine. He assisted staff members in various departments of these colleges to identify, develop, and implement educational programming for topics such as early frost, surviving low pork prices, BSE, and transitions in farm loss. In the 80's Dr. Petritz was instrumental in developing the FARM project. FARM was an acronym for Family and Agricultural Resources Management. The focus of this project was to provide individualized-decision-making assistance to farm families. Dr. Petritz coordinated the computer decision-making model which resulted in FINPACK. This program was adopted from the University of Minnesota and brought great recognition to the Purdue Extension by providing untold levels of assistance to farm families in need. As program leader, Dr. Petritz secured significant funding for numerous educational activities associated with a multitude of projects.
Most recently, Director Petritz has worked to establish Learning Centers as part of the university engagement promise to local communities. Seven counties with Learning Centers are leading Extension in a new direction with an emphasis on continuing education, scholarship, and workforce development. At one location, Purdue University received a CAPE grant (Community Alliance to Promote Education) for a learning center in the amount of 3.3 million dollars to focus on adult continuing education, child, and youth programming.
Letters of congratulation can be sent to Dr. David C. Petritz, Associate Dean, Director Cooperative Extension Service and Associate Vice-Provost for University Engagement, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Administration Building, 615 W. State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2053