Serving as head of the Department of Animal Science at South Dakota State University since 2013, Joseph Cassady recently took on his new role as the South Dakota Corn Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences in June. 
After earning his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Iowa State University in 1993 and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in animal science, with a specialization in food animal genetics, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1995 and 1999, Cassady began his professional career as a research associate with the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska.
In 2001, he got his start in academia when he took a job as an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science at North Carolina State University. Later, he was promoted to an associate professor in 2007 and to a full professor in 2013 before coming to SDSU as a professor and to lead the Department of Animal Science.
“I was looking for an opportunity to work more with students who came from farm and ranch backgrounds similar to the one I grew up with, and SDSU offered that,” said Cassady, who grew up on a diversified farm in southern Iowa.
Throughout his nine years serving as head of the Department of Animal Science, Cassady contributed to several milestone successes including doubling graduate student enrollment, contributing to the teams that designed and built the Cow-Calf Education and Research Facility and the Swine Education and Research Facility.
His first few months as dean have provided him with opportunities to interact with alumni and stakeholders, immerse himself in all parts of the college and learn more about aspects of agriculture and natural resources. Going forward, he plans to continue to fulfill the land-grant mission of the university in the areas of academics, research and Extension.
“I’m excited to be entrusted with the leadership of the college at a very exciting time when we have state-of-the-art facilities for both education and research,” said Cassady.
Andrea Schubloom
