A seasoned academic and agriculturalist will share a land-grant perspective at the E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series at 4 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library Mell Classroom Building room 3510.
Walter Hill is professor and vice provost at Tuskegee University. His lecture is titled “Integrative Agriculture, Research-Extension, and Justice: A Land-Grant Perspective.”
Hill previously served as Dean of Agriculture at Tuskegee University for 34 years, as the 1890 Research Director for 35 years, the 1890 Extension Administrator for 17 years, and as a faculty member for 46 years.
He helped found several organizations, including the Alabama Agriculture Alliance, 1890 Universities Foundation, Carver Integrative Sustainability Center, Ph.D. Programs in Integrative Biosciences and Integrative Public Policy and Development, Macon County Farmers Market, Black Belt Innovation and Marketing Center, and Professional Agricultural Workers Journal.
He was project director for Tuskegee and NASA’s Center for Food and Environmental Systems; the USDA Center of Excellence for Food Systems, Rural Prosperity and Environmental Sustainability; the NSF Noyce Teachers Scholars in STEM Education Project; and Southern Food Systems Education Consortium, sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation.
He served as chair for the FSA AL-State Committee, Association of Research Directors, Council of 1890 Deans, APLU-Academic Heads Section, the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference, and Black Belt Community Foundation.
He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Lake Forest College, master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and University of Arizona, and a doctorate in agronomy and environmental chemistry from the University of Illinois.
He was selected for Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Gamma Sigma Delta; National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Hall of Fame, Carver Distinguished Service Award, Iowa State University; AL Farmers Federation Service to Agriculture Award; Honorary Doctorate, Lake Forest College; TU Faculty Achievement Award, and Fellow, American Society of Agronomy.
He is married to Jill Hill, Systems Analyst and Mathematics Tutor; they have three sons, four granddaughters and one grandson.
The E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series features internationally known speakers addressing issues related to agriculture, food, the environment and natural resources. It was established in the Auburn University College of Agriculture in 1981 through a gift from E.T. and Vam Cardwell York; both are native Alabamians and Auburn University graduates.
Dr. York served as director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service from 1959 until 1962; he then went on to head the USDA’s Federal Extension Service in Washington, D.C. Later, he served as provost and vice president for agriculture at the University of Florida and then chancellor of the State University System of Florida until his retirement in 1980.
The Mell Classroom Building is located on the concourse-side of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at 231 Mell Street. The lecture is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked by not required to RSVP for the lecture at aub.ie/RSVP2023York. The lecture can also be attended via Zoom at aub.ie/WalterHill2023.
