Dr. Mary Jo Depp-Nestlerode, Regional Director for the central region, was appointed as Interim Associate Director of Cooperative Extension effective April 1, 2011.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Taylor Doebler Appointed to Board of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania
Taylor Doebler, owner of T. A. Seeds and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Penn State Ag Council, has been appointed as a Governor's representative to the Board of Directors of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Ag Advocate Training Held on April 16
The Penn State Ag Council hosted an Ag Advocate Training and Skybox Event for the new Penn State Extension Council members on April 16th in conjunction with the Blue and White football game.
The event included a morning training program with speakers addressing the impacts of the proposed funding cuts to Penn State and the College of Ag Sciences. Senator Jake Corman, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, discussed the budget situation, noting his desire to have the college Ag Research and Ag Extension lines items separated out from the Penn State general funding line and funding levels restored.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Hosts Dean's Tour
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation hosted a Dean's Tour on May 31-June 1, 2011. Stops included restoration and CREP partnership projects at farms and sites along the Susquehanna river.
The Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association will host another tour on August 2-3. Details for the next Dean's Tour will be sent soon!
If your organization would like to host a future tour, please contact Rhonda Demchak at rrr11@psu.edu.
College Capitol Day Held on April 13
The Penn State Ag Council (PSAC) and the Penn State Extension Council (PSEC) co-sponsored this year's College Capitol Day on April 13 in Harrisburg.
Approximately 160 college stakeholders consisting of Ag Action Network, College of Ag Sciences Alumni, PSAC, and PSEC members attended. Advocates delivered information packets to all 253 legislative offices and personally communicated the importance of college research and extension programs in their communities, businesses, and lives.On behalf of the councils and the college, thank you to all of the advocates who attended! Feedback from legislators has been extremely positive.
If you attended capitol day, please be sure to send a thank you note to the offices you visited. If you could not attend, it is not too late to carry the message to your legislator!
College Research Tour Planned for September 22
The twelfth annual Penn State Ag Council's Research Tour will be held on September 22, 2011. Delegates will receive an electronic invitation shortly. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to attend.
College Discovery Day Tour July 14
The College's annual Discovery Day Tour will be held at the Southeast Ag Research and Extension Center in Manheim on July 14th. Legislators and media are invited to the tour, which showcases the value of the College's land-grant Research Stations to the commonwealth. Council delegates should have received an electronic invitation to attend the event. Please contact your legislator and encourage them to attend.
2011 Ag Progress Days
Ag Progress Days will be held August 16-18. The Ag Council will once again be hanging member banners in the special events building for Tuesday's Alumni Luncheon and Wednesday's Government and Industry Day Luncheon.
The banner forms were distributed at the Spring Delegate Meeting and are due by July 15. Please fill out the form and either fax it to 814-863-6152 or click on the link above and email the form to Rhonda Demchak at rrr11@psu.edu.
The two luncheons attract more than 1,000 people. Delegates will receive a post card and an electronic invitation to attend the luncheons in June. Please respond quickly if you plan to attend, as space is limited.
Ag Career Day to be Held on October 18
The College Ag Career Day will be held on October 18, 2011, from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at the Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State University Park Campus. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and interview College of Agricultural Sciences' Students. To register to attend or for more information about participating, please visit the Ag Career Day Registration site.
Upcoming Events-Mark Your Calendar
July14- Discovery Day Tour, Southeast Ag Research and Extension Center
August 2- Dean's Tour Reception, Lewisburg, TBD
August 16-18- Ag Progress Days, Rock Springs
August 16 - College Alumni Society Luncheon, AG Progress Days site
August 17 - Government and Industry Day luncheon, Ag Progess Days site
August 17- PSAC Board Meeting, Rock Springs, Farm House 2nd Floor
September 22- PSAC College Research Tour, Ag Arena
October 5- PSAC Committee and Board Meetings
October 6- PSAC Fall Delegate Meeting, Ag Arena
October 6- College Scholarship Awards Banquet, Penn Stater
October 18- Ag Career Day
August 2- Dean's Tour Reception, Lewisburg, TBD
August 16-18- Ag Progress Days, Rock Springs
August 16 - College Alumni Society Luncheon, AG Progress Days site
August 17 - Government and Industry Day luncheon, Ag Progess Days site
August 17- PSAC Board Meeting, Rock Springs, Farm House 2nd Floor
September 22- PSAC College Research Tour, Ag Arena
October 5- PSAC Committee and Board Meetings
October 6- PSAC Fall Delegate Meeting, Ag Arena
October 6- College Scholarship Awards Banquet, Penn Stater
October 18- Ag Career Day
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
New Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education
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!
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
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