Dr. Lou Swanson is Vice President for Engagement, Director of Extension and Professor of Sociology. He oversees CSU Extension, Continuing Education/OnlinePlus, Office of Community and Economic Development, the Colorado Water Center, and the Office of Engagement international initiatives. He received his bachelor's degree in political science at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, his master's of technology in international development from North Carolina State University and his doctorate in rural sociology from Pennsylvania State University. He was a professor in the University of Kentucky's Department of Sociology before joining CSU in 1997. He has served as professor and chair of the CSU Sociology Department and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He has spent the majority of his career focused on public policy associated with agriculture and rural community studies. A past president of the Rural Sociological Society, he maintains his academic interest in policy issues associated with agriculture and rural development and community change. He has written numerous journal articles and book chapters and has authored or co-authored six books on rural communities in the United States. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia, as a Resident Fellow at Resources for the Future, and in 2009 was recognized as an Outstanding Alumni in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University.
