ABS College Academic Programs Annual Report
AgBio CommunicationsThe South Dakota State University College of Agriculture & Biological Sciences proudly celebrates the many remarkable accomplishments of its outstanding faculty, students, and alumni. All have much to be proud of. In acknowledging their achievements, we hope to provide them with the recognition they so richly deserve. At the same time, it is crucial to look forward. In looking forward, a road map for the future can be developed. Through continual program evaluation, planning, and improvement, the ABS College strives to ensure that its road map unfailingly leads to student success.
Over the past year, each department in the ABS College has engaged in systematic strategic planning. This planning has been undertaken to ensure that we are offering the programs, courses, delivery methods, and student development opportunities necessary to prepare students for a lifetime of success in an ever-changing global society. In this report, we will highlight some of our recent accomplishments and discuss our plans for the future.
Enrollment
The quality educational programs offered by SDSU and the ABS College continue to be in great demand. After several consecutive years of enrollment increases and all-time high enrollments within both the ABS College and the University, the ABS College welcomed 413 new undergraduate students this past fall semester. Those new students pushed the ABS College student totals to 1,812, which represents over 1,900 declared majors. The total number of declared majors has increased about 20% since Fall 2002.
In addition to providing faculty and advising for the many undergraduates majoring in ABS College disciplines, departments in the College are responsible for providing faculty and advising for an additional 700 undergraduates with majors that lie outside the ABS College and for approximately 250 graduate students.
Total student credit hours taught by ABS College faculty have risen from 62,467 in fiscal year 2003 to 75,492 in fiscal year 2007, for an increase of about 21%. Courses taught by ABS College faculty make up about 26% of the total student credit hours generated at SDSU.
Curriculum
The ABS College works diligently to offer programs and courses that are notable for excellence in both instruction and student development. A systematic and sustained effort underlies this work. Using indicators such as retention rates, career placement, and senior exit interviews, the performance and value of our academic programs are evaluated each year. In addition, every seven years each department undergoes a formal review by a panel of external and internal experts.
Recent additions to the ABS College curriculum include the new undergraduate minors of Equine Studies, Biotechnology, and Biorenewable Resources. Also, a Ph.D. in Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences is now offered. In addition, a specialization in microbiology was added to the Dairy Manufacturing major, and a new specialization in biology education was added to the Biological Sciences master’s program. The curriculum in the Horticulture major was significantly modified to enhance educational delivery and account for emerging industry needs such as expertise in turfgrass management. Also, one ABS College major (Park Management) was integrated with one College of Arts & Sciences major (Public Recreation) to develop a new program called Park and Recreation Management. Finally, the ABS College played an integral role in the development of a new university-level minor in Leadership.
Educational Delivery
Demand for college courses offered by distance delivery continues to grow, and the ABS College has responded with significant increases in courses taught primarily by Internet delivery. The ABS College delivered 11 online courses during the 2007 summer term, for example, compared to five the previous summer. Students from all six South Dakota public universities were enrolled in at least one of these courses.
A hybrid educational delivery model has been used to offer graduate-level programs to two segments of place-bound adult learners. One of these cohort programs, known as Prairie Ph.D., has allowed a group of 17 individuals to pursue graduate training while remaining in their home communities and maintaining their normal employment. Some of these individuals teach at tribal colleges, and others live or work on or near Native American communities in the region. Courses have been delivered by a variety of methods: these delivery methods include via the Internet; via weekend courses at on-campus locations; and via intensive, weeklong courses at West River locations. Another cohort program is being offered to individuals employed in the animal health industry. Courtesy of variable delivery methods deployed at variable locations, these students are also pursuing graduate degrees.
Student Development
The ABS College remains committed to developing well-rounded graduates who are poised to assume leadership roles in their professions and communities after graduation. Co-curricular activities are a vital part of the ABS College student experience, and, according to Tim Nichols, ABS College assistant director of academic programs, “Such activities are real competitive strengths of our programs.”
More than 30 University student organizations provide opportunities for involvement, travel, and leadership development. A trip to Denver by the Economics Club and a recent excursion to Yellowstone National Park by Microbiology are just two examples of the “extra” opportunities available at SDSU. In addition to travel, ABS College students are afforded the opportunity to provide significant campus-wide leadership. This year, senior agronomy major Chris Schaefer, Victoria, Minn., is serving as vice president of the SDSU Student Association, and senior Ryan Brunner, Newell, an agribusiness student and past Student Association president, is president of the statewide student’s federation and is serving on the Brookings City Council.
The opportunity to conduct research is another development opportunity available to students of the ABS College. More students than ever are participating in undergraduate research, and they are enjoying unprecedented success in scientific presentations, journal publications, and competition for local and national fellowships. Whether they are tracking mountain lions or analyzing genetic material from agricultural crops, these students aren’t just scrubbing test tubes. According to Nichols, “Our students are an integral part of the team that is discovering new knowledge that makes a difference to citizens of the region.”
ABS College students continue to earn national and international recognition for their achievements. Some of the nation’s top collegiate meats judges (e.g., Matt Grussing, Chamberlain; Jace Hollenbeck, Harrisburg) are SDSU students, as is one of the top all-around rodeo cowgirls (Jacque Murray, Isabel). In addition, Rachel Patrick, a dairy production major from Georgia, and Kyle Zulke, an agronomy major from Salem, won first-place honors at the national FFA convention. Patrick won for agricultural entrepreneurship and Zulke won for grain and seed production.
Internships available to students in the ABS College provide advantages to its graduates. Nichols said that many ABS College students now complete one or more industry internships before graduating. “Through internships, on-campus employment, leadership development, undergraduate research, international exposure, and excellent classroom and laboratory instruction, AgBio students are positioning themselves well for career success,” he said.
ABS College student involvement is expanding and now reaches around the globe. As a student of the College, there are opportunities for many unique experiences. A small cross-section of the opportunities available include train travel, jeep safaris, camping, witnessing polar bear migration, studying the impact of global warming, and visiting international markets. Students are traveling and studying in places such as West Africa, China, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Europe, and Australia. Upcoming trips include Northern Europe, Poland, Africa and China (again), and Canada.
Unique experiences, Nichols said, “add value” to the education opportunities available at SDSU. “In going above and beyond to provide these extraordinary opportunities, our faculty members are changing students’ lives,” Nichols said. “The ABS College is making dreams come true.”
Placement
More than 80 companies attended the Fall 2007 AgBio Careers Day (the largest such event in the college’s history), and career placement for the ABS College was at 98% for Spring 2007. “Our graduates’ success in the job market speaks to the quality of our student body, the excellent education they receive in the college, and the exciting professional possibilities in agriculture and biological sciences today,” said Nichols.