Litzenberg, beloved Texas A&M agricultural economics professor, dies

Kerry Litzenberg, Ph.D., formerly a Regents Professor and Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University, died March 17.

Litzenberg, or “Dr. Litz,” as his students called him, started as an assistant professor in 1978 and retired in 2019 after more than four decades of service to the university. He is remembered as an articulate, engaging and charismatic instructor who inspired his students and made lasting contributions to the department and university.

Rodolfo Nayga, Ph.D., head of the Department of Agricultural Economics in Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, called Litzenberg a “legend” in the department and described him as a person who “had a positive impact on his colleagues, but especially on his students.”

“Kerry was a master teacher and an example of teaching excellence,” Nayga said. “He was greatly respected by his students and was always ranked among the top professors. He also authored or contributed to numerous journal articles and received a number of university, regional and national teaching awards.”    

Nayga also praised Litzenberg for being the “founder and father” of what is now the Weston AgriFood Sales Program in the department.

“Dr. Litzenberg created that program by himself and from scratch,” Nayga said. “This program is still a testament to his innovativeness and foresight, as well as his exceptional abilities as a teacher.”

Four decades of contributions

Litzenberg earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Purdue University.

While at Texas A&M, his primary activities included teaching and research in agribusiness management, food and agriculture sales, sales management, and human resource planning and performance appraisal. He also worked on the application of computers and quantitative techniques for decision-making and with the development of the agribusiness curriculum.

Litzenberg was also involved in applied research for agribusiness education, structure, marketing, sales management, operational decision-making and strategic management. These included research projects to identify skills and motivation in agriculture students, as well as management practices in a variety of agribusiness operations.

During his academic career, he taught classes in Australia, Indonesia, Guatemala and France, in addition to those at Texas A&M.

Parr Rosson, Ph.D., former head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and longtime colleague, worked with Litzenberg at Texas A&M and collaborated with him for more than two decades on co-presenting a master’s program in Guatemala.

“I knew Kerry as a colleague and a friend,” Rosson said. “He had a dedicated and innovative approach to education and was always interested in what was new or on the cutting edge of agribusiness, especially agribusiness sales. His approach was challenging and rewarding for students. He was one of those instructors who made a significant positive impact on both a student’s personal and professional life. His door was always open, and he will be missed tremendously.”

Litzenberg was also active as a national and international expert on curriculum design in agribusiness. He served on agribusiness program reviews at various universities, including Alcorn State, University of Florida, Illinois State, Washington State, Prairie View A&M, Tennessee State, Mississippi State and Southern Illinois.

“Kerry was also deeply involved in helping people and making sure his students were well prepared for the future,” said Mark Waller, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics.

Waller said Litzenberg actively sought out internship opportunities for his students so they could get real-life experience to go along with their classroom instruction.

“Kerry was not only a tremendous contributor to the university, he was also known and respected nationally and internationally as a top-notch agricultural economist and expert on agribusiness.”

Litzenberg helped author the book, Launchers: Don’t Just Take a Job, Launch Your Career and taught more than 13,000 students, continually helping them identify the skills needed to launch their careers.

Throughout his tenure, Litzenberg was recognized with the Regents Professor and Eppright Professor of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence titles, as well as the Presidential Professor of Teaching Excellence Award, the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award multiple times and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Service schedule

Services will be handled by Calloway-Jones Funeral Home, 3001 S. College Ave, Bryan.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the service from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on March 25. Interment will be private.