on the move Preparing. Finding. Implementing solutions.
North Carolina A&T State University School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Newsletter August 2006 • Vol. V, No.4
Dr. T takes moment to review 2005-06 academic year I’m using an expanded space in this issue to talk about some of the progress the SAES made this year. Last year we unveiled a new five-year Dr. Alton Thompson strategic plan, Dean, SAES “Planning Our Preferred Future.” The plan, organized around 11 primary themes, represents a balance between the expectations that stakeholders have for the SAES, and the emerging issues that the SAES must address if it is going to continue to lead the University’s land-grant commitment to instruction, research and Extension. For each of the 11 themes, two-to-four goals were identified as major milestones or measurable objectives. The plan has made it easier to see where we are going, and we all have a clear road map for how to get there. It’s also a reference tool for members of the SAES faculty and staff as they chart their individual plans of work and professional goals. Whenever a new project or responsibility is under consideration—and when new directions for long-standing responsibilities and projects are on the table—“Planning Our Preferred Future” is the first place to turn for guidance. Although “Planning Our Preferred Future,” is a five-year plan that is beginning its second year, many accomplishments from the 2005-06 academic year deserve high grades for how well they mesh with strategic plan goals: especially those goals that repre-
sent measurable objectives. But we don’t just have a plan to say we have a plan, we have a plan that we will use to measure and report our successes. I don’t just need to know our progress. I want all of us, internal and external stakeholders, to know where we are and what progress we are making. This is the first of our annual strategic plan report cards. In some places we’ve made tremendous progress, in others we have laid the groundwork and in still others, much work remains to be done. But this is as expected. We created a plan that forces us to stretch and grow, and that is exactly what’s happening. Here’s a look at where we are after one complete year. The first two themes in the SAES strategic plan put the student learning environment at the forefront. The SAES gets high marks for an 8 percent enrollment increase, a 14.4 percent increase in credit hours generated and a 17 percent increase in student internships. The groundwork for several new programs of study was also completed. These new programs promise to increase the recruiting base. The strategic plan’s third, fourth and fifth themes address minority health, food safety, and family and community development. The Cooperative Extension Program was a major contributor to these themes. Although major impacts haven’t been recognized, the groundwork for change has been cultivated and the yield could be an overhaul of organizational marketing, programming and
evaluation that will give the SAES Agricultural Communications potent new connections for helpand Technology (ACT) and the ing families and communities. University Farm were here, there and everywhere on the first report The Agricultural Research Program (ARP) scores the most card. points for technology and resource Benchmark improvements base expansion themes. The in the SAES’s IT infrastructure research faculty and staff generated were the underpinning for the 72 proposals, 46 received fundhigh marks academic units receive ing, and this led to an increase in for smart classrooms, computer overall research funding from $3.3 labs and specialized software. million in 2004-05 to $4.4 million Extension’s annual report, Solutions in 2005-06. Research expertise for North Carolina©, and the helped line up three important ARP’s annual magazine, Re:search, new facilities for the University continue to showcase and highlight Farm. Through added employment SAES efforts, people and programs. opportunities for grad students, These publications are calling cards expansion of its summer program that assist with recruitment, fundfor high school students and raising and marketing. growth in research opportunities Inside this report card you for undergraduates, the ARP also can see additional details on the helped the SAES chalk up passing progress made to date. It’s a good marks for progress toward goals start, but it’s not the end. I expect for student recruitment. to see us continuing to move forward and in some areas to exceed Extension and the ARP both had additions to their programming and project repertoires that were spot-on for goals in addressing emerging issues in small-scale agriculture and environmental stewardship. Extension specialists opened up new communications channels for connecting campus Drs. Thompson and Guochen Yang of the SAES resources and their capped international networking with a trip to China own expertise to to sign memorandums of understanding. farmers and landthe goals we’ve outlined. Let’s owners, while research into new celebrate where we’ve been. But enterprises for small farms also much work remains to be done. found its way directly to farmers Let’s remain on the move. in record time.
on the move Although the SAES strategic plan, “Planning Our Preferred Future,” is a five-year plan that is beginning its second year, many accomplishments from the 2005-06 academic year deserve high grades for how well they mesh with strategic plan goals. Theme 1: Maintain a Responsive Learning Environment • There was a 17 percent increase in the number of SAES student internships this past academic year, with 63 students interning with private sector firms or government agencies. • The SAES organized its first-ever Student Professional Day, where students learned resume writing, interviewing and networking strategies, which they then put promptly to use in meetings with representatives from potential employers. • The Landscape Architecture Program was reviewed and reaccredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects, and all six programs in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences were reaccredited to 2014 by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. • The Agricultural Research Program’s employment opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students grew to 130 students and a payroll of $438,475.
• A proposal was submitted to the SAES curriculum committee to establish a Commodity Merchandising Certificate program. • Three horticulture courses and one pathology course were developed. Theme 2: Attract and Graduate Outstanding Students
• The SAES was a full partner in University Day, homecoming, academic fairs, and “Aggie Nite” recruitment coordinated by the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management. • Design and production work were completed on brochures, displays and other materials for a new SAES recruitment campaign, “Cultivating Potential.” • Agricultural Research provided 10 additional research assistantships of $12,000 each for SAES graduate students. • Enrollment in the SAES for fall semester 2005 was 757 students, up 8 percent from the 698 students for the 2004-05 academic year. Programs leading the way with the highest enrollments were child development and laboratory animal science. • New curricula for certificate programs in family financial planning and commodity merchandising were submitted to University administration and approved. • Approval and financial commitments were received to institute a year-round program in the Child Development Laboratory. • The Research Apprentice Program was expanded to two sessions, doubling the summer program’s capacity for introducing highly Student Shawndolyn Taylor, right, prepares for a class with motivated high school students Dr. Patricia Lynch of the Department of Family and Consumer to SAES resources and academic Sciences, which received reaccreditation from the American programs. Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. • Student credit hours generated in the SAES jumped from 11,989 in • A new relationship with the N.C. State 2004-05 to 13,721 during 2005-06 University School of Veterinary Medicine — a 14.4 percent increase. Family was established to give SAES students the and Consumer Sciences had an advantages of an early-acceptance option increase in student credit hours when applying to the N.C. State veterifrom 2,503 to 2,932. nary school.
• Sixty percent of graduating Animal Science majors were honor students. • Faculty secured $796,300 in competitive capacity building funds to support recruitment and retention. Theme 3: Improve Minority and Environmental Health • The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health announced a $504,0000 award to university-based agricultural safety and health research centers, and this funding will have an extensive impact on the N.C. Agromedicine Institute — a coalition established by A&T, East Carolina University, and N.C. State University. • The Cooperative Extension Program secured additional funding to develop a nutrition education outreach for youth growing up in public housing and economically disadvantaged communities. The outreach will include North Carolina’s fast-growing Hispanic population. Theme 4: Ensure a Nutritious, Safe and Secure Food Supply • Two SAES faculty members, Drs. Ipek Goktepe and Mohamed Ahmedna, were part of the trio of editors for a new reference book covering Probiotics [beneficial bacteria] in Food Safety and Human Health. Theme 5: Empower Individuals, Families and Communities • Extension specialists and agents working together in eight counties assisted 3,066 limited-resource families and 1,036 families with sounder financial footings in acquiring skills in basic money management. • New Master’s of Art in Teaching (MAT) programs for both Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Child Development Early Education and Family Studies (B-K) were established. • The Cooperative Extension Program’s “Parenting Matters” curriculum was used in 41 counties by the Extension field staff to fulfill court-mandated training in cases of child neglect or abuse. As a result,
Preparing. Finding. Implementing solutions. 338 children avoided foster care, which costs taxpayers $69.90 per day, per child. • Extension specialists assisted 223 community organizations with community economic development, which had an estimated economic impact of $251,217. • The SAES chapter of the National AgriMarketing Association and the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education conducted a series of entrepreneurship workshops in southeastern North Carolina. Theme 6: Advance Biotechnology and Biodiversity • A micro-array laboratory was added to the resources for studies in genomic diversity in the Animal Sciences Department at Webb Hall. • An SAES food scientist, Dr. Salam Ibrahim, was selected to serve on the 12-member advisory board for the International Probiotics Association, which has offices in 16 countries. • Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design was named to the editorial board of Sydowia, an international journal of mycology. • A team of Bioenvironmental Engineering students was awarded $5,000 by the American Public Power Association for a project proposal for work with biodiesel fuels derived from canola, soybeans and other renewable resources. • The “Dole Foods Think Tank,” a team of 11 SAES faculty and staff, came up with a plan for involving the SAES in the North Carolina Research Campus—near Kannapolis—a forthcoming $1 billion biotechnology center. Theme 7: Ensure the Viability of Small-scale Agriculture • More than 100 farmers across the state were trained in production of shiitake and other medicinal and culinary mushrooms, as an A&T researcher teamed up with Cooperative Extension personnel for a series of seven comprehensive training programs that brought current research developments from Carver Hall to a halfday’s drive of every resident of the state. • Members of the Animal Sciences faculty added a new feature to Small Farms Day at A&T, as they coordinated workshops for farmers interested in goat herd management that covered genetics, breed
selection, marketing options and health management strategies. • More than 600 people participated in the 4th National Small Farms conference, jointly hosted in Greensboro by A&T and N.C. State University. • The adoption of risk-reduction strategies enabled 4,276 farmers to reduce farm expenditures by 47 percent.
• Construction was completed on a new $1 million dairy unit at the University Farm, and on an equally state-of-the-art poultry unit for research and instruction. Theme 11: Expand Resource Base and Maximize Relationships • Seventy-two research proposals were submitted and 46 received funding, a success rate of 64 percent, These funded proposals
Theme 8: Protect the Environment and Natural Resources • A new weather station at the University Farm, established by the State Climate Office, significantly expands researchers’ access to all-important data. Theme 9: Promote International Trade and Economic Development • Dr. Manuel Reyes was named principal investigator for a $1.2 New resources at the A&T University Farm are helping smallmillion grant for research into scale farmers gear up for goat production. new and sustainable agro-forestry methods for developing nations in netted the SAES $4,356,017, an increase Southeast Asia. The grant includes fundof 31 percent over 2004-05. There were ing for student research experiences. 10 new research grants to Family and • Significant memoranda of understanding Consumer Sciences faculty that tallied were signed by the SAES dean and leading up to $741,354. universities in India and China. • The SAES Corporate Advisory Board announced three initiatives. The board Theme 10: Use Innovative voted to establish a corporate mentorship Technologies program, to sponsor a visiting lecture • Enhancements for the SAES computer series, and to raise at least $75,000 annuinfrastructure included a new electronic ally for student scholarships. SAES Helpdesk, new e-mail protocols, • With a print-run increase to 7,500 and active directory desktops. copies, Solutions for North Carolina©, • There was a sweeping renovation of the Cooperative Extension’s multimedia landscape architecture wing of the second annual report, became the most widely floor of Carver Hall. The wing now has distributed annual report in the history four revamped studio classrooms and a of the SAES. computer lab replete with access to CAD • Research into new uses for peanut byand GIS software. products and chives’ antimicrobial poten• The number of online classes developed tial received national and international and offered by the SAES grew to 28. The media attention—including the Chicago agricultural education program continued Tribune and the leading consumer health to be an SAES leader in distance educasite in South Africa. tion, with 15 online courses. • Photos and a story from the SAES’s annu• A six-course curriculum for a distance al magazine on research work, Re:search, education program leading to a certifiset the wheels in motion for five pages cate in Family Financial Planning was of coverage of Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen’s approved. mushroom research in Southern Living, • With completion of a smart classroom in which with circulation of 2.5 million, Benbow Hall, all SAES classroom buildannually, ranks in the top 25 magazines in ings now have smart classrooms. the United States.
on the move
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North Carolina A&T State University School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Newsletter Produced by the Agricultural Communications and Technology Unit
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Dr. Lloyd V. Hackley, Interim Chancellor Dr. Alton Thompson, Dean, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Dr. M. Ray McKinnie, Associate Dean, Administrator, The Cooperative Extension Program Dr. Carolyn Turner, Associate Dean, Agricultural Research Station Dr. Donald McDowell, Associate Dean, Academic Programs North Carolina A&T State University is a land-grant high research activity institution and AA/EEO employer. Send change of address and correspondence to:
on the move Newsletter Editor Agricultural Research Program CH Moore Agricultural Research Station Greensboro, NC 27411
7,000 copies of this public document were printed on recycled paper at a cost of $879.14 or $0.13 per copy. Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are open to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, US Department of Agriculture and local governments cooperating.
on the move/flip side Mark Your Calendar • University-wide opening day program for A&T faculty and staff: Aug.
Corey Burgess of the SAES staff is part of the team attending to the new dairy unit at the A&T University Farm. The unit has facilities for teaching, research and demonstrations of all aspects of pasture-based, dairy production systems.
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• SAES academic year kickoff:
Aug. 16
• First day of classes, fall semester:
Aug. 21
• A&T Homecoming:
Oct. 21
www.ag.ncat.edu