Gerald E Klonglan

Gerald E. Klonglan was born on April 1,1936 to Bernie and Willene Maland Klonglan in Story County, Iowa. He earned his B.S. (1958) in Rural Sociology from Iowa State College (University), and his M.S. (1962) and Ph.D. (1963) in Rural Sociology from Iowa State University. He joined the staff of Iowa State University in 1959 as a Graduate Research Assistant and went on to become an Assistant Professor of Sociology in 1963. He was promoted to the ranks of Associate Professor (1967) and full Professor (1972). Klonglan served as Acting Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (1973-1974, 1976-1977) and as Chair (1977-1990). He was then appointed Assistant Director of the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station in the College of Agriculture. In 1995, he became Associate Dean for National Programs and Research and served in that role until he retired in 2001. As Chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, he encouraged the faculty to participate in international activities. Several faculty members in the department were involved in international programs on campus, including the World Food Institute, the Third World Cultures Program, and the Center for Indigenous Knowledge for Agricultural and Rural Development. Klonglan himself became very involved in University Outreach and Extension programs. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Mediation Service beginning in 1988. Klonglan’s research interests include adoption-diffusion and communication of innovations, organizational effectiveness and interorganizational relations, social change and rural and community development, sociology methodology (theory construction), and domestic and international comparative studies. Klonglan married D. Eileen (Becvar) Klonglan (1964, Elementary Education, Iowa State University). They had two children, Jason Becvar Klonglan (1969- ) and Suzanne Elizabeth Klonglan (1972- )