University of Tennessee alumnus and longtime supporter and philanthropist James “Jim” Herbert died on March 16 at the age of eighty three.
Herbert and his wife, Judi, started giving to the university’s annual fund as soon as they graduated, and the university named the Herbert College of Agriculture in 2018 in honor of their transformational support in establishing the Herbert College of Agriculture Strategic Endowment, one of the largest gifts to the university in its 224-year history.
Herbert graduated from the UT College of Agriculture with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and journalism in 1962. Judi received her bachelor’s degree in English in 1963, and they married soon after. They have two children, Scott and Melissa; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Their son, Scott Herbert, graduated from what is now known as Herbert College of Agriculture in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business, and granddaughter, Olivia Murphy, earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from Herbert last year. Two other granddaughters, Jessica Herbert and Courtney Shea, also graduated from UT Knoxville.
Herbert made his career in the world of food safety, co-founding Neogen Corporation, which he led as CEO from 1982 until 2017. He was chairman until 2020, when he retired after celebrating his eightieth birthday. The publicly held company based in Lansing, Michigan, is a pioneer in rapid diagnostic testing and focuses on the development, manufacturing, and marketing of products for food and animal safety. The family also owns Bar-H Ranches, a commercial beef cattle operation near Hamilton, Texas.
His business acumen at Neogen and more than thirty corporations on which he served as a board member won praise from NASDAQ and USA Today, which named him a Michigan Entrepreneur of the Year. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Michigan State University and Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 2016, Herbert picked up another honorary degree when UT recognized his service to industry and his alma mater with the university’s first-ever honorary doctorate of agriculture.
After the large gift, the Herberts reflected on their years of giving, first as $10 a year after they graduated and then up to $100 and beyond. “When I wasn’t even drawing a salary at the start of the company, we found $100 to give to the university. Remember where you came from because giving back is important,” Jim Herbert said.
The Herberts said giving back to the university was natural. “Jim likes to say, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ It’s the mantra he lives by, and we as a family buy into that,” Judi Herbert said in a video made after their gift. “I hope we continue to graduate people who don’t forget their roots,” he added.
His interest in agriculture began as a young boy and eventually led him to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. From an early age, Herbert was involved in 4-H and agriculture. He grew up on a cotton and cattle farm in Shelby County, where he received his first calf at age three and started raising several calves for processing at six years old. He ventured into other projects throughout 4-H, including raising rabbits in the Carrot Club, before starting his herd of Hereford beef cattle.
He graduated from Whitehaven High School in Memphis and was interested in going to the University of Tennessee after a group of professors recruiting students came to town. One said he could live in a room for free on the ag campus if he watered the plants in the greenhouse. That sounded good to him, so he packed up and boarded a train to Knoxville. “What a great adventure was set in place that day,” Herbert said in his 2016 commencement address to UT College of Agriculture graduates.
The Herberts’ impacts at the university are many. They have served in many leadership and advisory roles, and together they were presented with the 2016 UT Philanthropists of the Year award. The Herberts also were named the 2019 Ruby C. McSwain Outstanding Philanthropists by the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association for their philanthropic efforts both at their alma mater and in their community.
Significant gifts include the establishment of the Herbert Excellence in Writing Endowment and support for their Greek societies. In 2017, the Herberts offered a matching challenge gift in support of UT’s Big Orange Give campaign, which helped the university raise more than $1.45 million in a single day. The couple’s support of the university led to the establishment of the Herbert Scholars program to provide financial assistance for Herbert College of Agriculture undergraduates engaged in experiential learning opportunities in the summer and a helpmate to engage additional corporations to invest in the college’s students.
Herbert was a staunch advocate for higher education and a role model for all Volunteers. He will be deeply missed, but his impact and legacy will be felt by students and faculty for generations to come.
“To whom much is given, much is expected.”
-Jim Herbert
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