Dr. Gary A. Thompson has been selected as the new College of Ag Sciences Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education and will be starting in early April. Dr. Thompson comes to Penn State from Oklahoma State University, where he serves as the Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He has also worked at the National Science Foundation as the Program Director in the Division of Integrative Organismal Biology, Directorate for Biological Sciences. Dr. Thompson was also a faculty member at the University of Arkansas, University of Copenhagen, and the University of Arizona. He received his PhD. from Purdue University. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Thompson to the college!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
College Academic Unit Restructuring Plan Under Development
Anticipating emerging challenges facing Pennsylvania and the college, more than a year ago the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences recognized the need for organizational change and began a process designed to develop and implement a new business model for the college and address budget strategies.
The AG Futures Process has entered a new phase, which will address the restructuring of the college's academic units. Please read the Ag Futures Process Update for a complete summary of the initiative to date.
In response to a University-wide evaluation resulting in specific recommendations submitted to the College of Ag Sciences, the dean has charged six teams to develop draft plans for restructuring the college's 12 academic units. Those plans will be available online on February 25, and a process for stakeholder input will be provided. The plans will be considered in the draft plan the Dean will present on March 18. Again, a process will be provided for stakeholder input before the final version is presented by the Dean in early April.
The process to date has been very transparent with extensive input from both internal and external stakeholders. Detailed information on the process and timelines can be found at the AG Futures website. For more information contact Mary Wirth (mfw10@psu.edu).
The Penn State Ag Council's College Strategic Planning Committee is following the academic unit restructuring process and will be submitting formal comments to the Dean on the final plan.
Budget Challenges
The college's agriculture research and cooperative extension programs are unique to the college and are funded through individual lines in the Penn State non-preferred appropriations bill.
Funding over the past 8 years in these lines has increased an average of approximately only one percent per year, while the state budget has gone up more than 36 percent in the same time frame and basic education almost 50 percent.
The state relied on federal stimulus funds (ARRA) for 2010/2011 to keep Penn State at flat funding at 2008/2009 levels. Stimulus funds, which make up 6 percent of the college's state base funding, expire in June 2011. If these funds are not restored in the college's 2011/2012 appropriation, this, combined with increased operating costs, will result in the college facing a two year programmatic budget shortfall of almost $11 million.
The college continues to take aggressive measures to implement cost-saving strategies as well as to secure adequate funding. The number of layoffs and program cutbacks necessary to address the budget realities will not be known until the legislature passes the 2011/2012 budget.
Please take the time to communicate to the Governor and legislators the importance of these programs to Pennsylvania and request continued funding.
Please take the time to communicate to the Governor and legislators the importance of these programs to Pennsylvania and request continued funding.
Advocacy Resources Available on College Website
The college website has a new page containing college background materials and impacts that you may find useful as you advocate for college programs. The link - Impacts - can be found on the college home page in the right column under "spotlight."
Council Election Results
At the August board meeting the board of directors elected a new slate of officers effective January 1, 2011, which included:
At the October board meeting, the board appointed Ken Martin, Furmano Foods, to fill the unexpired term of Kristen Goshorn to expire 12/31/2011. Elections were held at the October delegate meeting to fill three board of director vacancies for a three year term that expires 12-31-2013:
- Gregory Kirkham - President (1st term) Westfield Group
- Joel Rotz - Vice President (1st term) Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
- Ferlin Patrick (Secretary/Treasurer 1st term) Food Industry Group
- Gregg Robertson – Past President (1st Term) Pa Landscape & Nursery Association
At the October board meeting, the board appointed Ken Martin, Furmano Foods, to fill the unexpired term of Kristen Goshorn to expire 12/31/2011. Elections were held at the October delegate meeting to fill three board of director vacancies for a three year term that expires 12-31-2013:
- Cynthia Boyer Blakeslee (2nd term) Ag Law Committee of the PA Bar Assoc.
- Mike Brammer (1st term) PA Assoc. of FFA, Inc.
- Taylor Doebler (1st term) T.A. Seeds
Next Delegate Meeting April 7
Please mark your calendar for the next Penn State Ag Council Delegate Meeting to be held on April 7, 2011. The meeting will be held at Celebration Hall in State College, PA. The meeting will focus on voluntary audit systems and food safety as follow up to the viewing of the movie, Food, Inc. Extra time will be provided during the College Update to address the restructuring of the academic units and the Ag Futures process.
College Capitol Day Scheduled for April 13
The 7th annual College Capitol Day will be held in Harrisburg on April 13, 2011. The event is sponsored by the Penn State Ag Council and the newly created Penn State Extension Council, which replaced the Pennsylvania Council of Cooperative Extension Associations (PCCEA.)
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