On October 17, 2017, Olivet University's Board of Trustees is pleased to appoint its inaugural Dean of Olivet School of Agriculture (OSAg), Dr. James E. Diamond.
From his experience as a developmental worker in Chad, Africa for over 25 years and agricultural educator in the developing world, Dr. Diamond has participated in the setting up of OSAg’s program in the past and subscribes fully to its mission of feeding the people in the world, both in body and in spirit.
OSAg currently offers Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program which seeks to prepare its graduates to be agricultural missionaries in societies around the world. These graduates are anticipated to improve the quality of life by making locally grown food available, leading people to live a Christian lifestyle; plus simultaneously developing rural infrastructures.
Dr. Diamond earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from Pennsylvania State University, before subsequently serving as a faculty member at the same university and later as the Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the then Delaware Valley College.
Under the leadership of Dr. Diamond, it is anticipated that many agricultural missionaries will be raised through OSAg to provide clean food for the world, with its population expected to rise to 8 billion people by the year 2025.