The Agricultural and Rural Policy Studies program has a long history at Iowa State University. The program’s roots stretch back 110 years ago, when the rural sociology program was first established at ISU. Rural sociology is an applied and problem-oriented field within the discipline of sociology, sharing common theories and methods, yet having a distinct provenance. Rural sociology (and agricultural economics) developed in response to problems with farm business and rural living that were identified by President Theodore Roosevelt’s Country Life Commission in 1908. The three national priorities identified by the Commission were establishment of agricultural extension programs, scientific surveys of rural life, and a national agency devoted to rural progress. Over 110 years later, ISU’s Agricultural and Rural Studies program is still engaged in extension work and social surveys of farmers and rural residents in Iowa.
1913: First rural sociologist at ISU, Dr. George von Tungeln, hired by the College of Agriculture.
1913: First rural sociology course taught.
1915: Rural sociology research program established in the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station.
1915: First rural social survey in Iowa conducted in Lone Tree Twp. in Clay County Iowa.
1919: Bachelor of Science degree in rural sociology authorized by the College of Agriculture.
1920: Master of Science degree in rural sociology authorized.
1922: Rural sociology extension program established.
1940: Ph.D. degree in rural sociology authorized.
1968: Dr. George Beal elected President of the Rural Sociological Society.
1969: Bachelor of Science degree renamed to public service and administration in agriculture (PSA).
1975-2009: Administered USDA’s North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, provided research and technical assistance across 12 states.
1978-2009: Established the Community Development Data Information and Analysis Laboratory (CD-DIAL), which conducted hundreds of community surveys across Iowa.
1982: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll (IFRLP) began and is still in operation.
1985: Dr. Gerald Klonglan elected President of the Rural Sociological Society.
1988: Dr. Cornelia Flora elected President of the Rural Sociological Society.
1992: Dr. Cornelia Flora elected as Fellow in the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
1994: Iowa Small Towns Project (Sigma Study) began and is still in operation.
1996: Dr. Jan Flora elected President of the Rural Sociological Society.
2015: Bachelor of Science degree renamed to agriculture and society (AG SO).
2022: Bachelor of Science degree renamed to agricultural and rural policy studies (AGRPS).
2023: Agricultural and rural policy internship program established.
2024 & 2026: First study abroad programs started, to Nepal in 2024 and Peru in 2026.