Duane Acker, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Vice-Chancellor Records

Duane Calvin Acker was born March 13, 1931 in Atlantic, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State College with a B.S. in animal husbandry (1952) and an M.S. in animal nutrition (1953). He worked as an instructor and associate professor of animal science at Oklahoma State University from 1953-1955, and received his Ph.D. in animal nutrition there in 1957. He returned to Iowa State College as an associate professor of animal husbandry (1955-1962), and then as an associate dean of agriculture at Kansas State University (1962-1966). He then moved to South Dakota University as the dean of agriculture (1966-1974) and director of Cooperative Extension Service (1971-1974).

Acker came to the University of Nebraska (NU) in 1974-1975 to serve as Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR). From NU, he returned to Kansas State University as president (1975-1986) and later headed the food and agriculture programs at the United States Agency for International Development (1986-1990). In 1990, he was named administrator of International Cooperation and Development and Foreign Agricultural Service and assistant secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture for Science and Education in 1992.

Acker was elected Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement for Science (1980) and American Society of Animal Science (1984). He has authored numerous articles on animal nutrition, the textbook, Animal Science and Industry (1963), and a series of journal articles on college instruction and curriculum planning. He was awarded the 4-H Alumni Gold Key Award, American Future Farmers of America honorary degree, and Distinguished Alumni Awards at Iowa State University and Oklahoma State University, amongst many others.