Faculty
Theodore R. Alter
Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics
Co-Director, Center for Economic and Community Development
(Ph.D., Resource Economics and Policy, Michigan State University, 1976
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Email address: talter@psu.edu Telephone:814-863-8640 Fax: 1-814-865-3746 Office address: 204 Armsby Building University Park, PA 16802 |
Research Interests
Agricultural economics and policy, development economics, public sector economics, community and regional economics, community and rural development, comparative rural policy, institutional and behavioral economics, resource and environmental economics, and public scholarship and civic engagement in higher education.
Outreach/Extension Interests
Community and rural development, rural policy, public sector economics, public finance, critical infrastructure, and leadership and organizational development.
Current/Recent Courses
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AG BM 101: Principles of Agribusiness Decision Making
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CED 417: Power, Conflict, and Community Decision Making
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CED 475: Integrated Capstone Experience: Community, Democracy, and the Political Economy of Local Knowledge
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CEDEV 500: Principles of Community and Economic Development and Leadership
Recent Selected Publications
Alter, T.R., B.L. Schramm, and H.L. Moore. 2009. "Rural Development in the United States Farm Bill." Chapter in Miroslave Drygas, editor. Agriculture Policy in Light of the Farm Bill 2008 and the Future of the CAP of the EU After 2013. Warsaw, Poland:The Institute of Rural and Agriculture Development of the Polish Academy of Science.
Alter, T.R., T.E. Fuller, and S.M. Smith. 2009. Pennsylvania: Road to Growth 2001-2007 and Beyond. February 2009. Penn State University, College of Agricultural Sciences.
Peters, S. J., T. R. Alter, and N. Schwartzbach. 2008. “Unsettling a Settled Discourse: Faculty Views of the Meaning and Significance of the Land-Grant Mission.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach & Engagement 12 (2): 33-66.
Shingler, J., T.R. Alter, M. Van Loon, and J. Bridger. 2008. “The Importance of Subjective Data for Public Agency Performance Evaluation.” Public Administration Review. 68(6): 1101-1112.
Bridger, J.C. and T.R. Alter. 2008. “An interactional approach to place-based development." Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society, 39 (1): 99-111.
Bridger, J.C. and T.R. Alter. 2006.“The Engaged University, Community Development, and Public Scholarship.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 11(1): 163-178.
Bridger, J.C. and T.R. Alter. 2006. “Place, Social Capital, and Community Development.” Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society 37(1): 5-18.
Schafft, K.A., T.R.Alter, and J.C. Bridger. 2006. “Bringing the Community Along: A Case Study of a School District’s Information Technology Rural Development Initiative”. The Journal of Research in Rural Education, 21(8): 1-10.
Recent Selected Presentations and Papers
Alter, T.R., J.C. Bridger, M.W.P. Fortunato, K.A. Poppiti, S.S. Sager, and W.C. Shuffstall. The Digital Divide:A Three-county Case Study of Open-Access Broadband Development in Pennsylvania. Rural Sociological Society (RSS), August 1, 2009, Madison, WI.
Alter, T.R., M.W.P. Fortunato, S.S. Sager, and W.C. Shuffstall. Open Access:A Rural Broadband Delivery Model. National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP), April 21, 2009, San Diego, CA.
Sager, S. S., T.R. Alter, and W.C. Shuffstall. Broadband Policy for Rural Areas and the Role of the State: A Comparative Analysis. Middle Atlantic and New England Council for Canadian Studies (MANECCS) and Southern Association for Canadian Studies (SACS) Joint Conference on Canadian Studies, October 2-5, 2008, Washington, DC.
Sager, S. S., T.R. Alter, and W.C. Shuffstall. A Comparative Analysis of the Role of the State in Broadband Policy for Rural Areas. International Telecommunications Society 19th European Regional Conference, September 17-20, 2008, Luiss Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy.
Bridger, J.C. and T.R. Alter. Public Scholarship and Rural Sociology. Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Manchester, NH, 31 July, 2008.
Alter, T.R., J.C. Bridger, S. Sager, and W.C. Shuffstall. Integrating Telecommunications and Rural Policy. The Rural Telecommunications Conference, Springfield, IL, 17 October, 2007.
Alter, T.R., J.C. Bridger, S. Sager, and W.C. Shuffstall. Business Class Broadband. Rural Telecommunications Conference, Springfield, IL, 15 October, 2007.
Alter, T.R. “The Economics of Geospatial Infrastructures” Geospatial Policy Symposium. Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Harrisburg, PA, 4 October 2007.
Current and Former Graduate Students
Name |
Degree |
Title |
Completion Date |
Marsha Tate |
Ph.D., Communications, Penn State University |
Alliance Atlantic Communications: The Emergence of a Canadian Contender in the North American Media Milieu (dissertation co-chair) |
2007 |
Ivonne Espada-Simeon |
M.S., Community & Economic Development |
The Rural User’s Experience with Broadband Technology in Six Economic Sectors: |
2008 |
Michael Fortunato |
M.S., Community & Economic Development |
Exploring the Link Between Community Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Communities (thesis supervisor) |
2008 |
Judy Chambers |
M.S., Community & Economic Development |
Factors Influencing the Effective Use of Joint municipal Plans in Pennsylvania |
2009 |
Kevin O’Donovan |
Ph.D., Agribusiness, University College Dublin |
Labor Efficiency on Irish Dairy Farms (dissertation committee member) |
2009 |
Kyle Cecil |
Ph.D. , Education Administration & Policy, |
A Conceptualization of Faculty Social Responsibility of a Private Liberal Arts College (dissertation committee member) |
Expected 2010 |
Michael Fortunato |
Ph.D., Rural Sociology |
Dissertation committee member |
Expected 2010 |
Sheila Sager |
Ph.D., Communications, Penn State University |
Broadband Policy for Rural Areas and the Role of the State: A Comparative Analysis (dissertation co-chair) |
Expected 2010 |
Mary-Alice Marete |
Ph.D., Agricultural and Extension Education |
The Influence of Cooperative Structure on Commitment and Member Satisfaction: A Case of the Murang'a Nutribusiness Cooperative in Kenya |
Expected 2011 |