Jim Evans’ legacy continues in proposed global ag communications center

It is hard to overstate the impact of James F. Evans on agricultural communications in Illinois and beyond. Evans, emeritus professor of agricultural communications and journalism has mentored countless ag journalists, shaped the agricultural communications program at Illinois, and promoted international cooperation.

Jim Evans, now a spry 91-year-old, leaves an exceptional legacy that is set to be honored in the establishment of the Dr. James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The project has received a generous donation from an anonymous alum and a fundraising campaign is underway to reach $5 million, which is the required amount to be designated as a center at Illinois. 

Born in Monmouth, Illinois, in 1932, Evans’ roots are firmly set in Midwestern agriculture. When he was six years old, his family moved to Winfield, Iowa, to farm and raise livestock. He became involved in FFA and went on to study agricultural journalism at Iowa State University. After graduation, he worked in broadcast journalism before getting called into active duty in the Air Force, where he served as a career counselor and information services officer.

Jim married his high school sweetheart, Marlene, in 1954. The couple, who will soon celebrate their 70th anniversary, recently moved to community living in Savoy. In August, the University of Illinois Alumni Association named Jim and Marlene Evans the 2024 recipients of the UIAA Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes alumni accomplishments and service throughout their lives.

In 1957, Evans got a job as associate broadcast director and account executive at an advertising agency in Chicago, where he learned about the importance of writing with the audience in mind. Eventually, he decided to pursue a Master of Business Administration at the University of Chicago.  

Teaching ag communications at Illinois

Evans’ career at Illinois started in 1962, when he was hired to teach agricultural communications. He found that he had a passion and talent for teaching, and a unique ability to connect with the students. He actively recruited prospective students to the program, visiting the homes of high school students and their parents to tell them about opportunities in ag communications.

Lyle E. Orwig, co-founder of the advertising-marketing agency Charleston/Orwig, recalls getting a visit from Evans as a junior in high school.

“He stopped at the farm and said, ‘As a sectional FFA reporter, you ought to consider coming to Champaign, and get a degree in ag communications.’ He likes to say that he exposed us to the opportunity. And I like to say, just like a football player, he recruited me to come to Champaign to be on his team,” Orwig reminisced.

Orwig remembers Evans as an outstanding teacher and advisor, who wanted students to not only get a technical education, but also experience the industry and networking. For example, he would accompany them to meetings for the National Agri-Marketing Association and the American Agricultural Editors Association. 

“Dr. Evans was always available, even after graduation, to talk about job changes or issues at work that you wanted to bounce off somebody,” Orwig said. “He’s also a very humble person, who doesn’t want to take any credit for anything, even though he was the one who instigated and helped all of us get to where we are today.”

Technological innovation and global outreach

Evans obtained his doctorate in 1968 and became a professor and later head of the Agricultural Communications and Education Program at Illinois. He was a driving force in developing and expanding the program, and was an innovative trailblazer in his use of technology, incorporating telelectures to bring communications professionals into the classroom.

Evans was instrumental in transforming the student organization “Bright Young Men in Agricultural Communications” into the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, helping to facilitate career paths for female ag journalists.

He collaborated with other U.S. universities and helped them establish their own agricultural communications programs, providing his curriculum for them to adapt and use.

Evans also saw the need for international cooperation, and he traveled around the world to help universities create agricultural communications curricula, including locations in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Pakistan, and the West Indies.

In the 1980s, he co-founded the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC), which gathers literature about communications in farming, nutrition, rural development, natural resources, and other agriculture-related topics. ACDC is now a special collection with more than 50,000 documents from over 200 countries, hosted at the ACES Funk Library and available for digital searches and research.  

The vision for a  global ag communications center

Evans’ work to strengthen agricultural journalism and foster international collaboration serves as a vision for the proposed center. In his speech at a recent strategy meeting, Evans said the idea has percolated for decades. In the late 1990s, he proposed to form a rural-urban center at Illinois to serve producers, public agencies, legislators, industry, news organizations, and consumer groups.

The vision for a center also fits into the ongoing plan to fill an endowed chair in agricultural communications at Illinois permanently, Evans added.

Owen Roberts, director of the agricultural communications program, now part of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications at Illinois, says the Evans Center will become a hub for training and research, offering professional development opportunities, certificate programs, and specialized training.

“Over the last two years, we’ve completely revamped the agricultural communications program. It is now based on three pillars: global awareness, skill development, and critical thinking, which is consistent with what employers have said they need in graduates. We can draw on this foundation for certificate offerings,” he stated.

“For example, if a company or a group of communications professionals needs further development in certain areas, such as critical thinking or social media, the center could provide that. Companies and organizations may also come to us with research topics or communication projects. Eventually, these efforts can provide jobs, internships, and research opportunities for students.”

Illinois is a great place to connect ag industry, consumers

As past president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, Roberts is keenly aware of the global demand for training and education.

“What is needed in the U.S., Ghana, or Brazil is not all that different. It’s the ability to communicate about agriculture and food in a way that will help the industry be understood and help consumers make balanced decisions about agriculture and food. There’s a whole range of people who are involved in food and agriculture production and in agricultural communications who could use some additional help in communicating about these topics,” he said. 

“As far as I know, a global center specifically dedicated to food and agricultural communications does not exist anywhere else. As a strong food production state and agricultural state, Illinois is a great place for this center; we understand the synergy between agriculture and food. The concept is very exciting, and I’m looking forward to watching it grow.”

A fundraising campaign is underway

Doyle Karr, president of DOYLE XT External Affairs, ALEC alum and volunteer, and a former student of Evans, is spearheading fundraising efforts for the center.

“A significant donation from the anonymous alum has given us a terrific start for raising the $5 million required to create an endowed center at Illinois,” Karr said. 

The new center will advance excellence and innovation in food and agricultural communications through outreach, professional development, research, convenings, and degree programs. 

“For the last several months, we have been talking with potential stakeholders to ensure we have the best possible vision for what the center needs to be to make an impact. A team of volunteer fundraisers will be working closely with the ACES and campus advancement offices as we begin to ask for contributions. Given the need and the global nature of the challenge the center will address, we know there will be widespread interest,” Karr stated. 

To learn more about the Evans Center and the agricultural communications program, contact program director Owen Roberts at oroberts@illinois.edu. To explore opportunities to support these initiatives, contact the ACES Office of Advancement at 217-333-9355 or acesadvancement@illinois.edu. Contributions can also be made online at go.aces.illinois.edu/give, with the designation “Evans Center” noted in the “Other” field.