The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has named Obadiah M. Njue the Extension administrator/assistant dean for Extension and outreach in the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences.
In this position, Njue will support the school's dean in the administration, management and operation of UAPB's Cooperative Extension Program, according to a news release.
Njue will be responsible for establishing and maintaining work relationships with federal, state and university officials, partner organizations, government agencies and the general public. He will also develop and manage innovative programs in Extension and outreach and develop a rapport with the public, commodity organizations and other relevant groups.
He will assist the Extension staff in planning and developing programs, support staff in seeking and obtaining external funding to support program initiatives and provide program and budget oversight of Extension programs and outreach efforts.
"Dr. Njue is more than qualified for the position of Extension administrator/assistant dean for Extension and outreach," Doze Y. Butler, dean and director of the school, said. "In his career, he has served as department chair at two universities, as a researcher who has worked with colleagues to bring in millions of dollars in external funding and as an Extension professional with strong ties in the communities we serve. I am certainly pleased that the 'interim' has been removed from Njue's title."
Prior to his current position, Njue served as interim assistant dean for Extension. From 2015-2018 he served as chair of the department of agriculture and interim director of the Regulatory Science Center of Excellence. In that role, he was responsible for developing, cultivating and maintaining government, private industry and academic relationships to aid students with internships, employment opportunities and external funding. He also oversaw the bachelor's degree in regulatory sciences and the master's degree in agricultural regulations.
As the chair of the department of agriculture, he was responsible for academic programs and the supervision of faculty and staff. He managed instructional budgets and collaborated with the assistant research director in oversight activities related to agricultural teaching, research and 1890 Extension activities. He was also responsible for curriculum development, program assessment and teaching effectiveness.
Njue came to UAPB in 2005 as the Extension horticulture specialist. During that time, he traveled to Georgetown, Guyana, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he participated in the Partners of the Americas Farmer to Farmer program – a volunteer assignment to provide technical assistance in horticultural crops production.
Before coming to UAPB, Njue worked in academic and administrative positions at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. He has a doctorate degree in agriculture (horticulture) from Mississippi State University and master's and bachelor's degrees in botany from Panjab University in Chandigarh, India.
Njue has authored several publications, news articles and social media posts. He has helped obtain more than $4.6 million in grant money for SAFHS.
He is a member of the Association of Extension Administrators, the Horticulture Industries Show, Arkansas State Horticulture Society, Arkansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Educational Professional Development Program, National Sweet Potato Collaborators Group, American Society for Horticulture Science and the Southern Region American Society for Horticulture Science.