Santas Celebrates 33 Years with College of ACES
by Carly Rakes
Dr. John W. Santas, Assistant Dean Emeritus for special projects in the ACES Office of International Programs, has officially “re-retired” and is celebrating 33 years of exemplary service within the College of ACES through international education and training.
Over the years, Santas has played an instrumental role in various international projects and activities. He managed the programs of more than 500 foreign students and trainees who were sponsored through institution-building and university-development projects carried out in Zambia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Congo and Cote d’Ivoire. In addition, he established and implemented the ACES study abroad program while serving as Assistant Dean for Academic Programs.
Santas is a Wisconsin native and came to the U of I Office of International Agriculture in January 1978, with a disciplinary background in agricultural education. Here he served as a training officer for the International Soybean Program (INTSOY), an operation aimed at utilizing the potential of soybeans in developing countries to improve human nutrition needs. Santas was responsible for organizing formal short courses that helped international scientists better understand soybean production and utilization. “We managed some very large projects that were often multimillion dollar investments being made by USAID,” said Santas. “If you want to get something lasting from that investment, you invest in people.” The International Program for Agricultural Knowledge Systems (INTERPAKS) later came into existence in 1982. Santas once again served as a training officer in arranging short courses on campus, with a focus on management and operation of extension services, for international administrators.
Santas spent his time in Academic Programs from 1996-2002 in student exchange and study abroad. “You give students an experience that will really have an impact on their life,” said Santas. “When they leave here, what they remember is probably not what they heard in a classroom on the third floor of Mumford Hall. What they remember is the summer they spent in France, or the semester they spent in South Africa…that’s what stays with them.”
After 2002, Santas retired, but decided he couldn’t quit working ‘cold turkey’. At that time, he worked in ACES Global Connect, where he was involved in a USAID-funded project that built human capacity for Afghanistan’s agriculture sector through training programs delivered by our partner university in Peshawar, Pakistan. Nearly 550 Afghans were enrolled in technical short courses, M.S. degree programs and research training.
Santas has received a number of recognitions for his efforts, including the International Humanitarian Award in 2005. Now, in 2011, Santas is looking forward to the most important role he plays – and that is being Grandfather to two charming youngsters in Missouri, spending his time as the newly elected President of the Dugout Club, and enjoying his love for the game of baseball. Santas will reside in 277 National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) to provide historical perspectives on international collaborations.