The Applied Geography Conferences (AGC) had its humble beginnings back in 1978 when Dr. John Frazier (SUNY Binghamton), a distinguished leader in Applied Geography, and Dr. Bart Epstein (Kent State University), a leading authority in field of urban and marketing geography, both came together over an idea to help grow the discipline of Applied Geography.
At the time, there were not a lot of opportunities for Applied Geographers to network and share research and ideas – and thus the AGC began. As Dr. Frazier explains in his paper Applied Geography: Then and Now: “The applied geography renaissance began in the late 1970s, a resurgence that launched a stronger visibility and renewed respect inside and outside of academia. The Applied Geography Conferences (AGC) played an important role in this process because of strong support from nonacademic practitioners and because they provided value to participants. The value placed on useful knowledge for the solution of real-world problems provided the connection for those drawn from very different workplaces.”
He continues… “Applied geography is an essential part of geography in the social science that serves as a bridge between geographers in academia and in the world of practice. The level of acceptance of applied geography was not present in 1978 when the inaugural AGC occurred in Binghamton, New York.”
Dr. Frazier and Dr Epstein were co- Executive Directors of the AGC for the formative years from 1978 to 1995 and helped establish a legacy of excellence. Implementing a quality annual conference, as well as establishing the Papers of the Applied Geography Conferences. From 1978 to 2014, AGC published the annual proceedings consisting of selected research articles presented at the conference. Beginning in 2015, with the guidance of then Executive Director Jay Lee, the AGC further strengthened its commitment to publishing and began a partnership with Taylor & Francis to publish a peer-reviewed journal that is released multiple times per year. To see the work of Applied Geography, go to Papers in Applied Geography.
Over the years, we have had many outstanding leaders each of whom brought their own expertise to the Applied discipline and the AGC. We are thankful to each of these leaders who committed their time and gave such great guidance to AGC:
As we looked to enter our 43rd year, the board of the AGC recognized that we had an opportunity to do more. Today the Applied Geographer faces many more challenges than we did back in the 1970s. Seeing we had much potential for our organization to have an even broader impact on the Applied Geography community, we have re-organized and re-branded as AGX. This re-branding brings with it new initiatives as well including much more outreach to the community. As we enter into 2022 under the leadership of Dr Harrison Campbell the AGX looks forward to an even brighter future.
At the time, there were not a lot of opportunities for Applied Geographers to network and share research and ideas – and thus the AGC began. As Dr. Frazier explains in his paper Applied Geography: Then and Now: “The applied geography renaissance began in the late 1970s, a resurgence that launched a stronger visibility and renewed respect inside and outside of academia. The Applied Geography Conferences (AGC) played an important role in this process because of strong support from nonacademic practitioners and because they provided value to participants. The value placed on useful knowledge for the solution of real-world problems provided the connection for those drawn from very different workplaces.”
He continues… “Applied geography is an essential part of geography in the social science that serves as a bridge between geographers in academia and in the world of practice. The level of acceptance of applied geography was not present in 1978 when the inaugural AGC occurred in Binghamton, New York.”
Dr. Frazier and Dr Epstein were co- Executive Directors of the AGC for the formative years from 1978 to 1995 and helped establish a legacy of excellence. Implementing a quality annual conference, as well as establishing the Papers of the Applied Geography Conferences. From 1978 to 2014, AGC published the annual proceedings consisting of selected research articles presented at the conference. Beginning in 2015, with the guidance of then Executive Director Jay Lee, the AGC further strengthened its commitment to publishing and began a partnership with Taylor & Francis to publish a peer-reviewed journal that is released multiple times per year. To see the work of Applied Geography, go to Papers in Applied Geography.
Over the years, we have had many outstanding leaders each of whom brought their own expertise to the Applied discipline and the AGC. We are thankful to each of these leaders who committed their time and gave such great guidance to AGC:
- John Frazier (SUNY Binghamton) and Bart Epstein (Kent State University) 1978 to 1995
- Andy Schoolmaster (Univ. of North Texas - UNT) 1996 to 2001
- Burrell Montz (SUNY Binghamton) and Graham Tobin (Univ. of South Florida) 2002 to 2007
- Jay Lee (Kent State University) 2008 to 2018
- Murray Rice (Univ. of North Texas - UNT) 2019 to 2021
- Harrison Campbell (UNC Charlotte) 2022 – present
As we looked to enter our 43rd year, the board of the AGC recognized that we had an opportunity to do more. Today the Applied Geographer faces many more challenges than we did back in the 1970s. Seeing we had much potential for our organization to have an even broader impact on the Applied Geography community, we have re-organized and re-branded as AGX. This re-branding brings with it new initiatives as well including much more outreach to the community. As we enter into 2022 under the leadership of Dr Harrison Campbell the AGX looks forward to an even brighter future.