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Cesar Escalante (2024, Senior)

CWAE names Dr. Cesar Escalante, a Full Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics of the University of Georgia (UGA), as the awardee for the CWAE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Senior) Award for 2024.

This award is supported by the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s (AAEA) Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics (CWAE). The award recognizes contributions made by individuals, in the field of applied economics, to making our profession a more welcoming and supportive place for all. Recipients have been recognized for their sustained commitment to & impact on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the discipline. Recipients will be recognized at the CWAE/COSBAE annual luncheon at the AAEA annual meetings.

As a prominent agricultural economist, Dr. Cesar Escalante has an impressive record of achievements as a researcher, teacher, and mentor. His sustained commitment to the promotion of the DEI principle is evident from his scholarly research focusing on immigration labor issues, minority farming, and inequity in US agriculture; his mentoring and advising of minority students, and his research-informed outreach efforts.

During the last two decades, Dr. Escalante’s outreach programs gave rise to the development of a body of research work that reflects his longstanding devotion to directing greater attention to the plight of the socially disadvantaged members of society. The socially disadvantaged subjects (beneficiaries) of his research include racial/ethnic minority farmers, women, foreign farm workers, and ethnic minority adolescents. His empirical works help establish the urgency of crucial modifications to lending, immigration, farm labor, and health policies through expositions of realized and potential repercussions of such policies, usually with a special focus on underlying exclusion, inequitable treatment, and alienation of the socially disadvantaged.

Nobert Wilson, Professor Duke University, Past AAEA President says the following about Dr. Escalante’s research contributions on diversity and equity issues in U.S. agriculture: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has acknowledged long-standing discrimination. The Pigford v. Glickman settlement reflects African American farmers’ challenges when seeking support from the USDA. Despite the gravity of this issue, few researchers in agricultural and applied economics engaged in the topic of discrimination in agricultural policy, particularly in lending. Dr. Escalante did. As early as 2006, Dr. Escalante and colleagues published papers assessing discrimination in agricultural lending. With various empirical techniques, Dr. Escalante has worked to control critical factors that could explain differential lending practices and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) outcomes across multiple farmer dimensions (gender, race, farm type) ...”

Amy Ando, Professor and Chair, Department of Agriculture, Environment & Development Economics at Ohio State University says the following about Dr. Escalante: “…Many economists have just woken up to the fact that racial, ethnic, and gender inequities in agriculture are important problems to study and solve, but Cesar Escalante has been a pioneer in this area for more than a decade.”

On the instruction side, Dr. Escalante has contributed significantly to the retention and successful performance of minority graduate students. His effective personal mentoring approach has encouraged many minority students to develop greater self-confidence, command greater respect from their peers and teachers, and become highly productive even beyond the successful completion of their academic programs. These were clearly not overnight accomplishments, as these all necessitated his persistent, diligent, and unwavering support and guidance of his students over significant periods of time.

Odeira Williams, one of Dr. Escalante’s Masters students has the following to say: “As a single parent, I have faced both economic and personal challenges with balancing my school and home life. Although I am usually a very private person, I felt very comfortable discussing my obstacles with Dr. Escalante; on several occasions, he generously gave of his time and shared his personal stories of his own educational pursuits, which instantly made me feel empowered to continue on my path.

Another student, Adenola Osinubi, says the following in their nomination letter: “As an African American female student in the department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, I am a minority, and at times I have felt alone, but Dr. Escalante has supported me and helped to boost my confidence in myself and my work. He has encouraged me to apply myself in areas that I did not have the confidence to do and discouraged me from doubting myself. He is an easy person to talk to, and always looks for and shares different opportunities that he feels would help me grow. I personally have benefitted from the guidance of Dr. Escalante, and sincerely hope that his efforts as a professor and advisor will be rewarded..”

It is very evident that Dr. Escalante’s achievements in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion values and principles are significant and noteworthy. His contributions to such a cause span through several years of continued research, outreach, and teaching efforts – all geared towards stimulating discussions on the need for more inclusive, equitable, and fair regard of society’s socially disadvantaged. As the AAEA is rooted in the land-grant model of education, Dr. Escalante himself personifies the ideal land-grant faculty who has deliberately designed research agendas that are responsive to the needs of the profession’s outreach clientele, most especially those who are socially disadvantaged, and then adapts such values into his teaching and mentoring duties.