Alfred Vivian received a doctorate in agricultural chemistry from the University of Wisconsin before working as a coming to The Ohio State University in 1902 as an associate professor in the College of Agriculture (Ohio State News Service, 1943). As a professor, Vivian campaigned vigorously as a figurehead in the National Association for the Advancement of Agriculture Teaching at the secondary and adult levels (Johnston 1970, 33). In 1915 he was awarded deanship of the college, which he held until his retirement in 1932.
A zealous advocate for vocational agriculture at the secondary school level, Dean Alfred Vivian was influential in establishing the Department of Agriculture Education (Johnston, 1970). Vivian was also instrumental in establishing a strong presence of the student organizations Future Farmers of America and 4-H across Ohio through support and counsel (FFA).
Following the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, Vivian was appointed by then Governor James M. Cox to the first Ohio Board of Vocational Education to formulate a state-wide plan for the administration of vocational education that would be approved by the federal board (Johnston, 1970). In 1923, Vivian was elected the first president of the Ohio Vocational Association, which later became an affiliate of the American Vocational Association (Shoemaker & Parks, 2007).
Dean Emeritus Alfred Vivian was a prominent figure in the formative years of Career and Technical Education in Ohio and was at the helm of a rapid growing period for the College of Agriculture and is often credited as a main source of guidance and influence within the college and university.