Dr. Douglas LaVergne Promoted as New Vice President of Land-Grant Engagement at Lincoln University of Missouri

As vice president of land-grant engagement and dean of the College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences, Dr. LaVergne will support Lincoln University’s mission through multidisciplinary collaborations in teaching, research and service for Missouri residents.

Lincoln University of Missouri has promoted Dr. Douglas LaVergne to the newly created position of vice president of land-grant engagement, in addition to his current role as dean of the College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences, effective July 1.

As vice president of land-grant engagement and dean of the College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences, Dr. LaVergne will support Lincoln University’s mission through multidisciplinary collaborations in teaching, research and service for Missouri residents. He will report directly to the president and is a member of the executive leadership team. He will administer the university's 1890 Research and Extension activities in compliance with state and federal policies to maximize resources.

Dr. LaVergne will lead the land-grant engagement operations team, collaborate on public relations and marketing activities that align with the university’s mission and strategic plan, liaise with state and federal agriculture committees and other stakeholders and serve as an expert voice on land-grant matters from an 1890 perspective. He will foster collaborative, multidisciplinary discoveries campus-wide, integrate the land-grant mission of teaching, research and service across the campus and enhance funding opportunities through the development of multidisciplinary proposals.

“With the state of Missouri now fully funding our land-grant match, it is important that we infuse the 1890 Land-Grant mission of teaching, research and extension, across our campus and throughout the state,” says Lincoln University President Dr. John B. Moseley. “We are fortunate to have Dr. LaVergne, whose expertise in multidisciplinary proposals will be invaluable in this endeavor.” 

Dr. LaVergne holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education (agricultural education) from Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a master’s degree in agricultural & extension education from the University of Arkansas. In 2008 he received his Ph.D. in agricultural education from Texas A&M University in College Station. Prior to his time at TAMU, he taught courses in agricultural and extension education at West Virginia University. As a high school agriculture teacher in Morgan City, Louisiana, he established the school’s first agricultural education/FFA program. He also served as an extension specialist for Louisiana State University. He is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards and in 2003 was a George Washington Carver Fellow at the University of Arkansas. His research interests focus on the importance of diversity and underrepresented groups in agricultural and extension education.