Department of ACE - University of Illinois

🔶🔷Our amazing colleagues over at farmdoc Daily are hiring!🔶🔷

Join the farmdoc team as a Visiting Extension Outreach Associate! This role will develop, deliver, and evaluate programming associated with the farmdoc project while supporting the mission of University of Illinois Extension. The position will work closely with the farmdoc project director and other team staff to improve communications and cultivate relationships with project stakeholders. The position can be performed remotely and will require occasional travel to campus and farmdoc meetings and events held at various locations in Illinois. Interested? Learn more and apply at https://illinois.csod.com/ui/internal-career-site/app/job-details/16927!

+ Cornerstone OnDemand +

🌍The Climate is Risky Business ⛅

Farmers today face an increasingly unpredictable production environment, and many are re‑evaluating how they approach risk management and agricultural policy as a result. To better understand this uncertainty, Natalie Loduca, clinical assistant professor in Agricultural and Consumer Economics at Illinois, is examining how producers make decisions and how risk‑averse they are in their operations.

Working with Scott Swinton, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at MSU, Loduca studied how participants respond to theoretical risk and reward. Farmers first completed monetary lottery choices, followed by assessments of real‑world management decisions and yield‑impact scenarios. The results were consistent: farmers tended to be risk averse across both types of decisions.

As Loduca explains, “More risk‑averse farmers may be more likely to invest in adaptive technologies that reduce exposure to climate‑driven yield risk.” These insights have meaningful implications for policymakers and industry leaders alike.

Building on this work, Loduca and Swinton are now exploring how farmers’ stated risk preferences align with their actual crop production decisions—a connection that could help shape more effective support programs and on‑farm tools.

Read more about the study here: https://ow.ly/3V0e50Z5kL2

🎉 Congratulations to Professor Janzen on his Investiture 📣

Congratulations to Professor Joseph P. Janzen on his investment as The Clearing Corporation Foundation Endowed Associate Professor in Derivatives Trading. In ACE, his research deepens our understanding of commodity price behavior and its implications for farmers and consumers. He is also a key member of farmdoc, where he regularly communicates his insights to agricultural and financial communities and contributes to national media coverage.

Professor Janzen helps the industry, producers, and students understand sound economic analysis of changing agricultural markets. According to College of ACES Dean Germán Bollero, "Joe’s work strengthens our ability to understand and respond to the forces shaping agricultural markets."

Read more about the Investiture here: https://ow.ly/oQi550Z1gtZ

Congratulations on this well deserved recognition, Mia!

🧡💙

𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝
Jennifer Djisseglo 🎓
Degree ➡️ Financial Planning
Destination 📍Charles Schwab in Wealth Management

📣ACE is hiring! 📣

Please consider joining our team as Special Projects and Engagement Manager! In this role, you'll have the opportunity to manage special projects, external engagements and events, and marketing/communication efforts in the department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE). We seek someone who can lead engagement efforts with external stakeholders, including alumni and donors, by strategizing and executing communications, events, and other partnerships. This role will also be responsible for coordinating marketing projects, serving as the primary writer and editor for many departmental communications, and developing content for social media channels. Don't miss out on this opportunity to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders to assist in the successful ex*****on of a variety of projects, programs, and events for ACE!

For more information and to apply, please visit

Special Projects and Engagement Manager Duties & ResponsibilitiesProgram Management • Coordinate alumni engagement events, including reunions, committees, and networking events, and ass...

This week’s faculty feature is Professor Aaron Staples!

Dr. Staples is one of the ACE Department’s newest additions, joining us this past fall. He is a big proponent of pursuing opportunities beyond the classroom as he himself did during his undergraduate career. “In my experience, faculty are eager to expose students to research opportunities when sought out.” One professor truly shaped his college experience and research aspirations, and he aims to do the same.

That commitment to mentorship is reflected in his teaching of ACE 499: Supply Chain Management Capstone. Through case studies, industry engagement, and real-world problem solving, students explore how agricultural and food supply chains respond to challenges like regulatory shifts, economic uncertainty, and changing consumer demand. More importantly, the course creates a space for students to identify their own interests and take their learning further.

His research ties directly into these ideas as well. Dr. Staples focuses on supply chains, policy, and food choice by looking at how food and beverages move through the supply chain and how different players respond. He’s especially interested in how consumer decisions connect to bigger supply chain outcomes, using tools like behavioral economics to better understand market changes.

We are saying farewell to one of the most beloved professors, Paul Stoddard 🧡 His classes are legendary for his engaging style and the inspirational life lessons he sprinkles in. And despite having taught more than 12,000 students over the years, Stoddard famously gets to know each one by name.

“As I retire, my main emotion is gratitude,” Stoddard said. “I am grateful to all the students over the years who so openly shared their thoughts, questions, stories, and dreams at such a critical time in their intellectual and personal development. Because of them, the University of Illinois is a magnificent place to teach. To all of them, I offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ and ‘stay curious!’”

Join us for his last lecture ➡️ https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6J3wpqqC5N4anK6
📆 April 21, 2026
⏰ 5 PM CT
📍Foellinger Auditorium
Can't join in-person? Join the Livestream ➡️ https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_lxoucgol

Congratulations to Professor Paul McNamara on receiving the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement and to student Mia Bonds for on receiving the Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award! Much deserved recognition!

2026 International Achievement Award recipients announced 2026 International Achievement Award recipients announced Mar 27, 2026 10:00 am by Global Communications Images View More Images... CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 International Achievement ...