Ag prof emeritus receives honorary degree in Slovakia

G. Joachim Elterich, professor emeritus of agricultural economics, received an honorary degree from Slovak Agricultural University (SAU) at the International Scientific Days Conference, in Nitra, Slovakia, June 6-7.

The conference coincided with the 55th anniversary of the institution, which is situated in this city of about 75,000 that traces its history back to the ninth century.

The award, presented by the scientific board and Dekan of the college of economics and management at SAU and the Rektor of the University, recognizes Elterich's contributions as a scientist and a teacher and his efforts in developing a student exchange program between UD and SAU.

Elterich's association with Nitra began in 1983, during the final decade of the Cold War, when former SAU professor, and later Rektor, Ladislav Kabat came to UD to the IREX program that allowed students and teachers from the Eastern Bloc to come to America.

"This was before the Iron Curtain came down," Elterich said. "I took students to Prague and Budapest, and professors and students from SAU would come to Newark, often living the homes of myself and my colleagues."

In 1994, Elterich worked with educators from UD and SAU to secure a United States Information Agency grant to initiate a program of economical and managerial studies at Nitra. The result was the Institute of Business Development Management, where Elterich served as director from 1994 to 1997.

Since retiring from UD in 1998, Elterich has continued to lecture as a visiting professor at SAU. His course in managerial economics, which he teaches in English and German, has become a required part of the curriculum there.

During his association with SAU, the economies of Eastern Europe have undergone a dramatic change, and shifting to a market economy has generated a great demand for instruction in the latest developments in economic theory and practice.

"They had to start from scratch after the Russians left," Elterich said. "Before, there was only a planned, central economy. Now, the country is looking for bankers, businessmen and industrial experts."

The end of the Cold War also spurred a renaissance of intellectual energy and a push towards the revitalization of academic institutions and facilities among former Eastern Bloc countries, Elterich said. This trend can be seen at SAU, where enrollment has doubled to 8,000 students in the last decade.

"Students at SAU are very eager to learn, and they never close their books at the end of a class before the professor is done speaking," Elterich said. "They are very interested in the American way of life and how their counterparts in the United States perform academically."

Also of interest are the pedagogical theories and practices used in many American institutions of higher learning.

"Our way of teaching, including the interaction with students, is very different from the traditional European method where the professor lectures and the students listen and take notes," Elterich said. "We invite questions, and this helps to encourage independent thinking and leads to a much closer relationship with students."

Having experienced the destruction of his birthplace, Dresden, Germany, as a youth during World War II, and having seen the rise and fall of the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, Elterich said he believes it is essential for nations to pursue a spirit of international cooperation that includes an open exchange of students, educators and ideas.

In his remarks at the award ceremony in Nitra, Elterich said, "We are all human beings and we need to understand each other across artificial and political boundaries and live in peace."

While he said he was pleased with the recognition, Elterich said that the award also recognizes the long history of relations between UD and SAU.

Elterich joined the faculty of UD's Department of Food and Resource Economics in 1967. He received his undergraduate degree in agricultural and economics at Bonn University, a master's in agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky and received his Ph.D. in micro, macro and agricultural economics, statistics and international trade from Michigan State University.

While teaching at SAU, he also is involved in helping to bring graduate students from foreign countries, especially Slovakia, to UD to carry out research in agriculture economics through the establishment of the B. Joachim Elterich Fellowship.

"They have already invited me back to Nitra," Elterich said. "You need to stay active mentally and physically if you want stay healthy."