After much disagreement and two faculty searches spanning nearly a year, a candidate to replace retired distinguished agriculture law professor Neil Harl has been found.

Roger McEowen, currently an associate professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University and long-time associate of Harl, will follow him as the agriculture law professor at Iowa State.

“He is an outstanding person in all areas,” Harl said. “[He’s] the most land grant mission-oriented person in the country today.”

Harl, a leading expert in the area of agricultural law, began a process of phased retirement in 1999. In 2002, he said the College of Agriculture began a search process to find a replacement for him.

The first search was terminated in September 2003 due to the lack of available candidates. Harl was initially at odds with university officials because the search was too narrow, he said. To be eligible for the position, a candidate needed to be in possession of a doctorate in economics and a doctorate in law. Harl said there aren’t many candidates in the nation that possess both degrees.

“The short answer is there aren’t many people in the area of agriculture law,” said College of Agriculture Dean Catherine Woteki.

Woteki said the emphasis on finding a candidate with both doctorates was because Harl, the retiring professor, had them.

“We are a research university, the Ph.D. is looked to as being the qualification for research faculty,” Woteki said. “Why wouldn’t you search for the same qualities as the person who’s retiring?”

Harl said it was unnecessary for a candidate to have both doctorates, because only a doctorate in law was required for the job. He said the only reason he had a doctorate in economics is because he was interested enough in the subject to pursue one. While there is a dimension of importance for an economics degree, he said it was important for someone to be able to work well with all areas of agriculture, not just its economic aspects.

“[McEowen and I] both feel strongly the position should be held by someone who will build bridges with disciplines in the College of Agriculture,” he said.

When the search first started, Harl said McEowen was the most qualified person for the job, despite the fact that he did not have a doctorate in economics.

“[McEowen] is the most qualified person in the country, with or without a Ph.D.,” Harl said, according to Daily staff reports.

In November, a new search began without the requirement that the candidates have a doctorate in economics.

“We felt it was important to broaden the pool,” Woteki said.

McEowen has both a doctorate in law and a master’s degree in economics. Of the three candidates invited here for interviews, McEowen was the most qualified for the position, Woteki said.

Harl said given the nature of the position, it was necessary for his replacement to be able to cater to all the different aspects of the job, which includes research, extension work and teaching.