Martin A. Massengale was born and reared in Kentucky. He received
his undergraduate
education at Western Kentucky University and his graduate training in
forage
crops and plant physiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Following military service, Dr. Massengale joined the faculty at
the University
of Arizona as Assistant Professor of Agronomy. He progressed through
the
ranks of Associate Professor, Professor, Department Head, Associate
Dean
of the College of Agriculture and Associate Director of the Arizona
Agriculture
Experiment Station.
In 1976, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as Vice
Chancellor
for Agriculture and Natural Resources. In 1981, he became Chancellor of
the Lincoln campus and held that position until 1991. In 1989, he was
appointed
Interim President of the University of Nebraska and named President in
1991. He served in that capacity until 1994. Since 1994, Dr. Massengale
has been President-Emeritus, Director of the Center for Grassland
Studies,
and Foundation Distinguished Professor.
Dr. Massengale has served as President of the Crop Science Society
of America,
the Western Society of Crop Science, the Grazing Lands Forum, as
Chairman of the Board of Mid-America International Agricultural
Consortium,
the Agronomic Science Foundation, the College Football
Association,
and the President's Commission of the National Collegiate
Athletic
Association. He currenly serves on the Boards of Directors of the
Council
of Agricultural Science and Technology, the Agronomic Science
Foundation,
and Trees America, the Nebraska Policy Institute and Corporate Boards.
He also serves on the National Advisory Board to the Secretary of
Agriculture
for Research, Extension, Education and Economics and is currently chair
of that
board’s Executive Committee. He is a fellow in the American Society of
Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the American
Association
for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Massengale has authored or
co-authored
over 70 scientific papers, has been a consultant to several foreign
governments,
and has received numerous awards and honors, including two honorary
doctoral
degrees, the Crop Science Society of America's Distinguished Career
Award,
and the American Society of Agronomy's Outstanding Service Award,
Outstanding
President’s Award from the All-American Football Foundation, and one of
American Biographical Institute’s Most Admired Men of the Decade.