Scott Loveridge
College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development
Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics
Professor & Assistant Dean, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Telephone: 517-432-9969
Area of Expertise:
Regional Economic Development
CV: File Download
Publications on Google Scholar
Dr. Loveridge is a tenured full professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE). Born and raised in Michigan, Scott consistently seeks adventure with a purpose. Scott served as a Peace Corps Fisheries Volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping people learn how to raise fish to fight protein deficiencies in the local diet. Scott’s PhD included fieldwork in Rwanda, and showed that food security was dependent on trade links with neighboring countries, supporting a more open border policy. In a faculty position at the University of Minnesota, Scott conducted evaluations of methods to sustain businesses in local communities, laying the intellectual foundation for a new organization, Business Retention and Expansion International. Scott then moved to West Virginia University with roles including unit leader (45 tenure system and fixed term faculty) and director of an endowed research institute. In West Virginia, Scott initiated the Community Design Team and the highly downloaded Web Book of Regional Science. After coming to MSU, Scott first served State Extension Leader, helping to bring Citizen Planner from a regional to statewide availability, and to launch the Conservation Stewards and Firewise programs. As Director of Graduate Studies in AFRE, Scott increased enrollment and raised the academic profile of matriculating students. Scott then served as Director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development for six years, initiating a shift in program emphasis towards the role of community health in economic development, and kindling relationships with minority-serving institutions. Scott wrote a grant introducing the Mental Health First Aid curriculum to Michigan State University Extension and other states in the upper Midwest. Scott also served as interim Director of the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction for one year and as interim Chair of the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife for three years, focusing on hiring seven new faculty members, expanding relationships with stakeholders, and implementing transparent process improvements in unit governance. Scott is Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Research and Outreach Interests
Impact assessment of policies, investments and shocks; economic development strategies for states and sub-state regions; university-based technology transfer systems; U.S. government rural development policies; and joint publishing with graduate students.
Professor Scott Loveridge's research focuses on social conditions associated with economic growth and development of subnational regions. Scott’s PhD graduate students accepted positions at Michigan State University, Valdosta State University, Texas A&M, Kyiv School of Economics, University of Nevada-Reno, and University of Alaska-Anchorage. Scott’s post-doctoral fellows went on to positions at Michigan State University (3), Purdue University, and University of Texas-Dallas.