Unit Review Self Study Report - Welcome to UTIA! 5-Year Unit Review... · Technology ; Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries; and Plant Sciences. ... and Evaluation at Alabama A&M University

Caula A. Beyl, Dean College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

June, 2012

Unit Review Self Study Report

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

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Unit Review Self Study Report College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Contents CASNR MISSION AND HISTORY ..................................................................................................... 4

PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION CHART ........................................................................................ 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF CASNR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ...................................................... 9

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS, MAJORS, AND MINORS .................................................................... 9

AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS (ALEC) ......................... 9 AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS ....................................................................... 10

ANIMAL SCIENCE .................................................................................................................. 11

BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND SOIL SCIENCE ..................................................................... 12 ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY ............................................................................... 13

FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ........................................................................................ 14

FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES ................................................................................... 15 PLANT SCIENCES ................................................................................................................... 16

PLANT, SOILS, AND INSECTS DOCTORAL PROGRAM .............................................................. 17

MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM ............................................................. 17 ENROLLMENT, DIVERSITY, RETENTION, AND GRADUATION TRENDS .............................................. 19

GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS (5 YEARS) .................................................................................. 23

INCREASING THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF STUDENTS ADMITTED AND GRADUATED .............. 23 RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES ....................................................................................................... 23

FOCUS ON RECRUITMENT OF HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT STUDENTS .............................................. 25

EFFECTIVE USAGE OF THE CASNR AMBASSADORS .................................................................. 26 SOCIAL MEDIA AND RECRUITMENT MATERIALS ....................................................................... 26

REINVENTING CASNR’S ONLINE PRESENCE – THE 2007-2011 CASNR WEBSITE ................... 27

THE 2007 CASNR WEBSITE ................................................................................................. 27 THE 2011 CASNR WEBSITE ................................................................................................. 28

2012 CASNR WEBSITE ......................................................................................................... 29 DIVERSITY INITIATIVES ............................................................................................................. 30

RECRUITMENT OF UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS................................................................ 30

RETENTION AND COMPLETION OF UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS ....................................... 31 STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCED STUDENT SUCCESS ...................................................................... 32

LEARNING COMMUNITY ........................................................................................................ 32

INTRUSIVE ACADEMIC ADVISING ........................................................................................... 33 HONORS PROGRAM AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH .............................................................. 33

COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS INITIATIVE ................................................................................. 33

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ......................................................................................................... 37

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INTERNSHIPS .......................................................................................................................... 37

PRACTICUMS ......................................................................................................................... 37 SERVICE LEARNING ............................................................................................................... 38

INFORMATION PLACEMENT AND CAREER PREPARATION ............................................................ 38

CAREER PLACEMENT ............................................................................................................. 38 PARTICIPATION IN THE CASNR JOB FAIR ............................................................................. 39

WORKSHOPS TO SUPPORT EMPLOYMENT READINESS ............................................................. 40

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY ........................................................................................................ 41 HISTORY ................................................................................................................................ 41

UTIA INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL (IAC) .............................................................. 41

CASNR EFFORTS TO INTERNATIONALIZE ............................................................................. 42 AD HOC TASK FORCE EFFORTS ................................................................................................... 44

CURRICULAR EFFICIENCY AUDIT .......................................................................................... 44

TASKFORCE ON QUALITY GRADUATE EDUCATION ................................................................ 45 TEACHING METRICS COMMITTEE .......................................................................................... 46

TEACHING WORKLOAD COMMITTEE ..................................................................................... 47

ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEWS OCCURRING IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS .................................... 48 AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNICATIONS .................................... 48

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS ................................................................................................. 48 ANIMAL SCIENCE .................................................................................................................. 48

ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY ............................................................................... 49

PLANT SCIENCE ..................................................................................................................... 49 MLA ACCREDITATION VISIT ................................................................................................. 49

REVIEW OF THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ................................................................................. 49

REVIEW OF THE ADVISING PROGRAM ........................................................................................ 50 COLLABORATION WITH AGRESEARCH ...................................................................................... 51

ENHANCEMENT OF REVENUE AND BUDGETARY EFFICIENCY ........................................................ 52

ANNUAL COLLEGE BUDGET ...................................................................................................... 52 IMPLEMENTATION OF FEES .................................................................................................... 52

IMPACT OF CASNR BUDGET CONSTRAINTS ........................................................................... 53

BUDGETARY EFFICIENCY ...................................................................................................... 53 STUDENT CREDIT HOUR PRODUCTION .................................................................................. 54

FACULTY TEACHING EFFORT ................................................................................................ 56

UNDERGRADUATE ADVISING ................................................................................................ 57 GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES ........................................................................................... 57

FIRST YEAR STUDIES AND SEMINAR COURSES ...................................................................... 59

GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS (GTAS) ......................................................................... 60 TECHNOLOGY AND FACILITIES RESOURCES OF THE COLLEGE ................................................... 60

COLLEGE ADMINISTRATIVE AND STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE FACILITIES ............................... 60

NEEDED RENOVATION OF STUDENT SERVICES SUITE AND DEAN’S OFFICE .............................. 60 CLASSROOM UPGRADES, TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT OF INSTRUCTION ........................................ 61

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USE OF TECHNOLOGY FEE FUNDS ......................................................................................... 61

DISCRETIONARY IT FUNDS FROM UTK CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE ($13,000 IN 2011) .............. 62 CLASSROOM UPGRADE .......................................................................................................... 63

CURRENT STATUS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................ 63

DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS TO SUPPORT TEACHING ....................................................................... 64 ENHANCING THE VISIBILITY OF THE COLLEGE .............................................................................. 65

CASNR HOSTED UNIVERSITY-WIDE ANNUAL TEACHING WORKSHOPS ................................... 65

WORKSHOPS TO SUPPORT DIVERSITY AND WOMEN IN SCIENCE ................................................ 65 OTHER EVENTS HOSTED BY CASNR ........................................................................................ 66

CASNR FALL KICK-OFF TO THE SEMESTER ......................................................................... 66

BIG ORANGE AND GREEN RECRUITING SEMINAR .................................................................. 66 NICE CONFERENCE IN 2009 AND 2010 ................................................................................. 66

RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE ON CAMPUS, NATIONALLY, AND INTERNATIONALLY ........... 66

PRIOR STRATEGIC PLAN AND DRAFT CASNR 2020 STRATEGIC PLAN ......................................... 68 PROCESS USED ........................................................................................................................... 68

CURRENT STATUS ...................................................................................................................... 69

OUTCOME .................................................................................................................................. 69 SELF-IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT .................................................................. 69

ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 69 ADJUSTMENT OF ASSIGNED TEACHING LOADS FOR MORE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION ................. 70

ENHANCED PUBLICITY FOR THE COLLEGE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF ITS STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF ........................................................................................................................................ 70

APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................. 72 I. DESCRIPTION OF UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS, CONCENTRATIONS, AND MINORS OFFERED BY THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES, FALL 2012. ............. 72

DESCRIPTION OF GRADUATE MAJORS AND MINORS OFFERED BY THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES, FALL 2012. ................................................................... 74

II. TYPES OF APPOINTMENTS HELD BY TEACHING FACULTY IN THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 76 III. CASNR 2020 STRATEGIC PLAN (DRAFT 1.2) ................................................................ 79

BACKGROUND AND GOALS .................................................................................................... 79

IV. CASNR DIVERSITY PLAN (2010-11) ............................................................................. 84

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Unit Review Self Study Report College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

CASNR Mission and History The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) provides a vital role in educating the agricultural leaders and scientists of tomorrow who will be providing solutions to the challenges of producing food, fiber, and fuel needs fpr an ever-increasing population while safeguarding the environment. The college provides a sound education embracing all aspects of agriculture and environmental sciences and oversees the academic mission component of eight departments within the UT Institute of Agriculture including Agricultural and Resource Economics; Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication; Animal Science; Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science; Entomology and Plant Pathology; Food Science and Technology ; Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries; and Plant Sciences.

MISSION: The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources prepares students in natural and social sciences-based professional academic programs for careers in agriculture, natural resources and other arenas. The CASNR academic programs accomplish the following:

• Provide strong general education with a foundation in fundamental knowledge, an understanding of the human experience, a global perspective, and communication skills (visual, oral and written);

• Build on the natural and social sciences to provide experiential learning that applies gained knowledge to problem-solving situations using critical thinking and analytical skills;

• Provide student-centered educational programs where students engage in the process and take responsibility for their education;

• Provide international experiences for a global perspective to student education.

Agriculture has been taught at the University of Tennessee since 1871. During this time, programs have been administered as a Department of Agriculture, a School of Agriculture, a College of Agriculture, a College of Agriculture and Home Economics, and finally as the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The first graduate degree of study was the Master of Science in Horticulture in 1905 with the first doctoral program in Animal Science beginning in 1960. Several deans have provided leadership to the college including Glen Hall from 1968 to 1992; interim dean Gary Schneider from 1992-1995 and associate dean in 1995; John Riley, dean from 1995 to 1999; Mary Lewnes Albrecht, interim dean from 1999 to 2000 and then associate dean from 2000 to 2010; C. A. Speer, combined dean of CASNR and the Agricultural Experiment Station from 2000 to 2002; Jack Britt, interim dean, 2002-2004 (while also serving as Vice President); Thomas Klindt, interim dean from 2004 to 2006; Joe DiPietro,

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interim dean from 2006-2007 while serving as the Vice President of UTIA; and then Caula Beyl, current dean from 2007. John Stier joined CASNR in 2011 as assistant dean.

Prior to 2000 support staff in the dean’s office consisted of two administrative assistants. Under Dr. Albrecht’s leadership, staffing was expanded to eventually include non-exempt staff consisting of two administrative assistants, a receptionist, and one accounting assistant. Exempt staff included one instructor/career services director, one recruiting director, and one retention coordinator. In 2009, financial exigency resulted in college-wide budget cuts and the CASNR staff was reduced to only two administrative support personnel in the main office. This resulted in a reallocation of duties among the remaining two persons; fortunately, the entire office is extremely efficient sharing the load when the workload is heavy and cross-training to minimize process bottlenecks.

Much academic progress has occurred over the last ten years. From 1999-2007, CASNR administration added a college honors program, expanded study abroad opportunities, enhanced classroom technology and renovated classrooms, revamped the college scholarship program (moved administrative support out of a department and into the college, initiated the first database for use by the scholarship committee, initiated rotation of members and chair), guided faculty through revision of curriculum to adopt the 2004 general education revision, and assisted departments with creation of new degrees. These new degrees included a BS in Agricultural and Resource Economics, Master of Landscape Architecture (shared with the College of Architecture and Design), and a PhD in Natural Resources. Also occurring was the reorganization of the Plant and Soil Sciences and Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design BS and MS degrees into Plant Sciences and Environmental and Soil Sciences; while the Plant and Soil Sciences PhD became a more inclusive Plant, Soils and Insects umbrella program. CASNR led the way in development of comprehensive bylaws later modified and adapted for UTIA. During this time frame, the first advising manual, teaching resources manual, and new student orientation workbooks were developed. In 2009, new unit review policies and procedures manuals were developed for UTIA when academic program review was transferred to UTIA rather than being initiated and conducted by UTK. The process was revised to be more inclusive of research and extension aspects of departments in addition to the academic component.

Personnel and Organization Chart CASNR represents the academic mission within the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA). The Dean of CASNR reports directly to the Chancellor of UTIA, Dr. Larry Arrington, and indirectly to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK), Dr. Susan Martin. Within UTIA, there are three other divisions representing AgResearch, Agricultural Extension, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. CASNR benefits greatly by the interaction with the other entities in UTIA as the vast majority of its faculty have joint appointments with either AgResearch or Agricultural Extension and the scope of those programs extends across the entire state of Tennessee.

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Dr. Caula A. Beyl joined the University of Tennessee as Dean of CASNR June 1, 2007. Previously, she was a professor of horticulture and Director of Institutional Planning, Research, and Evaluation at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL. She had also served as the Director of the Plant Science Center within the Department of Plant and Soil Science. Dean Beyl obtained her PhD in Plant Stress Physiology and MS degree in Horticulture from Purdue University.

Dr. John C. Stier, assistant dean of CASNR, joined the University of Tennessee August 1, 2011. He had been serving as the Chair of the Horticulture Department and also chaired the Curriculum Committee for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Stier received his PhD in Crop and Soil Sciences from Michigan State University and his MS degree in Plant Pathology from The Ohio State University.

The following organizational chart details the personnel in the college and their reporting relationships:

Administrative support functions within the dean’s office are provided by the following staff:

Ms. Angela Berry (Administrative Specialist III) has been a part of the University of Tennessee since 1987 and an important part of the dean’s office since 1999. She coordinates activities in the Office of the Dean and special college functions such as commencement, scholarship and awards events, and teaching workshops. She is also responsible for CASNR building use

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inventory, classroom reservations, and timetable. The most time-consuming part of her position is her support of the dean as administrative assistant.

Ms. Leann McElhaney (Business Manager) provides administrative support for the College Scholarship Committee, provides budget management for college restricted and unrestricted accounts; serves as the CASNR liaison with the University Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, provides oversight for CASNR inventory, and oversees the Human Resource functions for the college.

Ms. Tammy Pass (Administrative Specialist I) coordinates activities among departmental student records secretaries and room schedulers, handles student records and is the liaison with the University Registrar; processes student petitions and data entry into DARS, coordinates orientation, and is the administrative assistant to the Assistant Dean.

The college is focused on recruitment, education, and placement of students in careers or post-graduate programs. The following student services staff members provide support for retention, diversity, academic success, career preparation, placement, and recruitment activities within the college under the guidance of the Assistant Dean.

Dr. Theressa Cooper (Director of Academic Success Programs and Outreach Initiatives) provides support for advisors, students on academic probation, first generation and minority students. She is also the liaison with the UT Undergraduate Advising Council and the Student Success Center; advises CASNR Chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS); assists with recruitment of students; teaches AGNR 100 - Orientation to Studies in Agriculture and Natural Resources; and serves as the academic liaison and coordinator of the CASNR Living Learning Community.

Ms. Emily Gray (Lecturer and Director of CASNR Career Service) teaches ANR 290 Computer Applications in Agriculture and Natural Resources, serves as the liaison with University Career Services, plans and conducts CASNR Career Fair, coordinates on-campus interviews, provides career advising to students, and advises Sigma Alpha professional sorority.

Ms. Anna Adams (Program Coordinator for Recruitment) plans and conducts the student recruitment program, works with high school counselors and county Extension personnel, advises the College Ambassador Program, acts as CASNR’s liaison with the UT Office of Admissions and with 4-H Youth Development, and now coordinates redesign and content of our college web pages.

The CASNR staff is quite active in professional development including training relating to conflict, time, and stress management; customer service skills; communication strategies (both verbal and non-verbal); and leadership and team building training. In addition, they have participated in training relating to various software programs, such as, Excel, Word, PhotoShop, and SharePoint. As new programs have been introduced at the university, staff have embraced the opportunity to attend training and implement these programs to enhance performance of day-

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to-day functions in their respective roles. Such programs include: IRIS, Banner, Astra, and Tuleo. As a result of pursuing additional skills, professional development, and expanded responsibility, several have had PDQ upgrades and title changes in the last five years:

Name Date PDQ Change Angela Berry

6/2008 Administrative Specialist II to Administrative Specialist III

Theressa Cooper

10/2011 Program Coordinator I to Program Coordinator III

Leann McElhaney

10/2011 6/2008

Accounting Coordinator I to Business Manager Accounting Specialist II to Accounting Coordinator I

Tammy Pass

6/2009 Administrative Support Assistant to Administrative Specialist I

For the size of its enrollment and the number of faculty and departments within the college, the number of dean’s office personnel is relatively small with 2 support staff and one business manager. Cross-training of job skills has been accomplished so that work can continue when staff members are absent due to illness or vacation, Ms. Angie Berry and Ms. Tammy Pass are both trained in Astra 7 (room scheduling), Banner and IRIS entry. Ms. Berry is also cross-trained with Ms. Leann McElhaney, the Business Manager for the College, on HR issues and time entry. Dr. Theressa Cooper and Ms. Anna Adams can both attend recruiting events. The collegial and mutually supportive environment of the dean’s staff means that additional hands and task support is volunteered readily when any one of the members needs it.

In 2010, Dean Beyl, recognizing the need for additional focus and attention to support several areas of concern, empowered three faculty coordinators to develop initiatives and track progress in undergraduate research/honors programs, technology enhancement, and international programs. Coordinators are given a modest administrative stipend for the extra duties assumed. The first to be appointed, Dr. Kimberly Gwinn, an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, is the CASNR Coordinator for the Undergraduate Research and Honors Programs. Dr. Joanne Logan, Associate Professor in Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, serves as the Coordinator for CASNR Technology. Dr. David Ostermeier, Professor in Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, serves as the CASNR Coordinator of Study Abroad and International Programs. Augmenting the effort directed toward these three areas has been highly successful, due largely to the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the talented individuals chosen. Progress in each of these areas is reported later in the self-study document. The same approach is being considered to address the need for more comprehensive college level assessment of learning and impact of the college experience.

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Executive Summary of CASNR Educational Programs

Academic Departments, Majors, and Minors The college is composed of eight departments. Seven of the departments offer a total of nine undergraduate degrees, with students able to choose among any one of 37 concentrations (Appendix I). Undergraduate students typically select a major upon enrollment. Consequently, the college has a very small population of exploratory (undecided) students, because these are quickly assisted into selecting majors: in fall 2011, there were 13 exploratory students from a total population of 1132. Twelve minors are available, including one in International Agriculture & Natural Resources. The College hosts a new intercollegiate minor, Watershed, for both undergraduate and graduate students. The interdisciplinary Watershed minor includes 36 faculty from five colleges (CASNR, Architecture & Design, Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Law).

Most of the faculty who teach have joint appointments with a minor percentage of their appointment allocated to teaching and the majority of their appointment allocated to either research or extension. Therefore, 1 FTE of teaching is typically distributed over several faculty members. There are just a few 100% tenure-track or lecturer teaching appointments in the college. Slightly over half of the 98 tenure-track faculty who hold any portion of a teaching appointment are full professors (52%). Associate professors comprise 34% of tenure track faculty, and assistant professors comprise 14%. Gender diversity among faculty is slowly increasing over time and still remains a priority of the college. As of February 2011, 18 of the tenure-track faculty were female. Ethnic diversity lags behind gender diversity but is also slowly increasing.

Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications (ALEC) Dept. Head: Dr. Delton Gerloff Teaching FTE: 2 faculty, 1 lecturer (temporary) Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 2 The department offers an array of educational opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Five concentrations are available at the undergraduate level. The unit is the only location in East Tennessee to provide education leading to a certified agricultural instructor. Demand for such graduates exceeds supply: in 2012, Tennessee had 35 open positions for 20 graduating seniors from all TN agricultural education programs (Steven Gass, TN Dept. of Education, pers. commun. 6 June 2012). The department also educates many of Tennessee’s extension agents, and need is indicated by both TN and KY Extension for increased access to an on-line Master’s program from the department. With only two faculty members and a lecturer, the department is the smallest unit but has the college’s greatest proportional growth in student credit hour (SCH) production, increasing 276% from 423 SCH combined for undergraduate and graduate offerings in 2006-07 to 1444 in 2010-11 (1123 undergraduate, 321 graduate). Average SCH per FTE for undergraduates is 374/FTE, and 107/FTE for graduate students.

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Major Enrollment in ALEC based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls)

Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 44 41 53 50 67 33

Masters 24 24 23 27 32 26

Doctorate ------------------------------------Not Applicable (NA)---------------------------------------

Degrees Awarded

Bachelors 21 9 16 10 8 Unavailable

Masters 7 8 6 9 6 Unavailable

Agricultural and Resource Economics Dept. Head: Dr. Delton Gerloff Teaching FTE: 3.68 Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 21 plus 1 part-time adjunct In 2008, the department revised its traditional and primary undergraduate major from “Agricultural Economics and Business” to “Food and Agricultural Business” in recognition of the increasing career opportunities for BS students in the “food end” of the agricultural system. In 2009, the department changed its name to incorporate “Resource” in the title to better reflect the increased demand and teaching effort devoted to natural resources and the environment. The department also developed a new THEC-approved major titled “Natural Resource and Environmental Economics”. The department’s importance to industry benefits students. The department leads students in the annual National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) competition, where students compete against other schools to display their acumen in financial, marketing, and economic decision-making. The department offers two majors and one specialized concentration at the undergraduate level. Masters students can select an MS in one of three concentrations (Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, or Natural Resource Economics), or pursue a combined MS-MBA program offered jointly with the College of Business. Enrollment of majors has been relatively steady, however, SCH generation has doubled to over 2,000 since 2006 as non-majors elect courses offered by the department.

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Major Enrollment in AREC based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 63 66 56 57 59 64

Masters 17 17 23 23 29 23


Degrees Awarded

Bachelors 15 15 13 14 22 Unavailable

Masters 9 7 7 11 8 Unavailable

Animal Science Dept. Head: Dr. F. Neal Schrick Teaching FTE: 4.48 plus 2.88 non-tenure track or part-time (adjunct) Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 24 plus 1 part-time adjunct The department offers one undergraduate major and MS and PhD programs. Historically the student body came largely from production farms and was predominately male. Today, like much of the rest of the college, the majority of the student body is female and from non-farm backgrounds. This department houses the largest number of undergraduate students in the college. With enrollment up from 319 in fall 2006 to approximately 400 currently, the majority of students enroll with plans to attend veterinary school. About 80-85% of the department students who are selected for an interview are admitted to veterinary school. Typically, 17-23 students from the department are admitted to veterinary school each year, representing about 30% of the total in-state students admitted, which indicates the department does an extraordinary job of preparing students compared to other possible pre-vet majors or institutions. In fall 2011, 114 freshmen entered the department with plans to attend veterinary school. This is where faculty advising becomes very critical to success: Faculty advisors track student performance each semester and intervene quickly, usually by the end of the first year, to provide guidance with steps to success towards veterinary school or to guide students towards alternate career paths. Enrollment growth has resulted in student credit hour production increases of over 20% since 2006.

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Major Enrollment in Animal Science based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 319 325 348 340 377 407

Masters 17 16 13 12 15 17

Doctorate 9 8 9 9 8 5

Degrees Awarded

Bachelors 52 61 67 63 74 NA

Masters 6 6 5 2 6 NA

Doctorate 4 1 1 1 4 NA

Biosystems Engineer ing and Soil Science Dept. Head: Dr. Eric Drumm Teaching FTE: 6.06 Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 26 plus 1 lecturer The department offers two majors, Biosystems Engineering and Environmental and Soil Science, each with multiple concentrations (Appendix I).The purpose of the department is to educate students in engineering principles as applied to agricultural sciences and natural resources, and applied science principles in environmental sciences and soil sciences. The department recently added a concentration in Construction Science in response to requests of industry, and had its first graduates in Spring 2012. The department has also developed a new concentration in Environmental Sustainability which will be offered beginning autumn 2012. Enrollment in the engineering and especially environmental sciences has been increasing. Total undergraduate enrollment has increased 43% since 2006 to 126 undergraduate majors and 35 graduate students. Graduate programs are offered at both the MS and the PhD levels. Students interested in a soils-focused PhD program enter the interdepartmental program of Plants, Soils and Insects. Student credit hour production increased over 40% since 2006, totaling 3477 SCH in 2010-11.

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Major Enrollment in Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 88 81 109 113 104 126

Masters 23 19 21 23 36 35

Doctorate 6 3 5 5 3 3

Degrees Awarded




*PhD students studying Environmental and Soil Sciences enroll in the Plant, Soils and Insects doctoral program, described toward the end of this section. Only Biosystems Engineering students are shown in the table above.

Entomology and Plant Pathology Interim Dept. Head: Dr. Robert Trigiano Teaching FTE: 1.91 Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 22 The department’s mission is primarily research and extension with funding for its faculty and programs largely from AgResearch and Agricultural Extension. The department provides undergraduate instruction as a service for allied departments, primarily in plant and animal sciences. Masters students can receive a degree from the department; PhD students secure their degree from the interdepartmental Plants, Soils and Insects program. Student credit hour generation has increased over 60% from 2006, totaling 608 SCH in 2010-11.

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Major Enrollment in Entomology & Plant Pathology based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors ------------------------------------Not Applicable (NA)---------------------------------------

Masters 12 16 12 10 14 14

Doctorate -----------------------See Plant, Soils and Insects Doctoral Program----------------------

Degrees Awarded

Bachelors ------------------------------------Not Applicable (NA)---------------------------------------

Masters 4 5 4 1 3 4


Food Science and Technology Dept. Head: Dr. P. Michael Davidson Teaching FTE: 2.51 Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 8 The department prepares students for careers in food science and further professional studies. Addition of the pre-professional track resulted in explosive growth of the major, with enrollment tripling since 2006. Many of these are students who transfer in from other colleges as students realize the advantages of faculty advising. Its placement rate for dental school is 100%. As in Animal Science, faculty advisors are able to steer students towards alternate careers when appropriate. Faculty have extensive relationships with industry due to their joint responsibilities in AgResearch or Agricultural Extension. Since 2006, undergraduate student enrollment has grown 174% and student credit hour generation has increased.

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Major Enrollment in Food Science & Technology based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 57 65 81 91 105 156

Masters 12 13 8 19 17 9

Doctorate 14 14 9 8 10 17

Degrees Awarded




Forestry, Wildl ife and Fisheries Dept. Head: Dr. Keith Belli Teaching FTE: 6.15 Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 28 Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries prepares students for careers in natural resources and in areas as diverse as wildlife health and forest economics. One of the highlights of the undergraduate program is the “Fall Block”, an experiential learning opportunity required of students in both departmental majors. During this semester, in their junior or senior years, students focus on a specific course all day for various lengths of time, depending on the credit hours. Following a classroom experience in the early morning, students travel to the field to survey wildlife, evaluate trees, etc. Forestry students spend two weeks at Ames Plantation in West Tennessee; wildlife and fisheries students spend several days in a location such as a national wildlife refuge to gain practical hands-on learning. The department has the largest graduate program in the College, the third largest major enrollment, and produces the greatest number of SCHs. Both enrollment and SCHs continue to increase. Beginning fall 2012, the department will offer an undergraduate concentration in Urban Forestry, an area projected to increase in importance as economic and social expectations rise for urban trees and tree management for aesthetics and utility for cooling, property values, and wildlife. Based on 2011 data, approximately one-third of the undergraduate students are interested in Forestry; the others in Wildlife & Fisheries. Masters degrees are offered in both Forestry and in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. A PhD is offered in Natural Resources.

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Major Enrollment in Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 154 141 131 151 159 171

Masters 25 30 36 37 27 33

Doctorate 24 25 27 25 29 22

Degrees Awarded


Masters 10 7 16 10 19 NA


Plant Sciences Dept. Head: Dr. Robert Augé Teaching FTE: 9.3 Total UTIA Faculty FTE: 37.3 Plant Sciences incorporates the disciplines of agronomy and horticulture, including landscape design, ornamental horticulture and turf. Faculty expertise exists in both applied and basic sciences and is expressed in the course offerings ranging from biotechnology to golf course management. The seven concentrations (Appendix I) reflect the diversity of faculty interests and career opportunities for students. The recent addition of the Bioenergy concentration reflects Tennessee’s commitment to bioenergy in the 21st century. Student enrollment and SCH production have risen between 5 and 10% since 2006. Students interested in doctoral studies enroll in the interdepartmental program of Plants, Soils and Insects.

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Major Enrollment in Plant Sciences based on autumn 14 day data (Sources: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111221_CASNR for 2006-10; for 2011, Enrollment 95 to 11.xls) Year

Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Majors

Bachelors 107 130 139 131 119 103

Masters 24 30 22 20 24 NA

Doctorate* -----------------------See Plant, Soils and Insects Doctoral Program----------------------

Degrees Awarded

Bachelors 23 33 35 39 34 27


Doctorate* ----------------------------------------Not Available---------------------------------------

*Plants, Soils and Insects PhD includes students from Soil Science and Entomology and Plant Pathology.

Plant, Soils, and Insects Doctoral Program Doctoral students from Plant Sciences, Biosystems Engineering – Environmental & Soil Sciences, and Entomology and Plant Pathology receive a PhD from the Plant, Soils and Insects interdepartmental program. In 2002, doctoral programs from the three areas were combined as a result of other changes in the college to enhance efficiency of operations. Student numbers have been fairly steady at about 25 per year. Data on the number of students in the program from each of the three departments are not readily available for 2010 and 2011.

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Degree 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Doctorate 18 26 21 25 26 26

Master of Landscape Architecture Program The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) degree program was established in 2008 following a lengthy series of discussions across the campus. This is the only MLA program in the state. It is collectively administered by the College of Architecture and Design and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Brad Collett, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, is the interim chair. Students may earn a self-directed research degree as either a Master of Science in Landscape Architecture (MSLA) or a Master of

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Arts in Landscape Architecture(MALA), or a professional (terminal) degree of Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA). Incoming students are highly qualified. In 3 of the past 5 years, a student entering the program has earned the prestigious J. Wallace & Katie Dean Graduate Fellowship, a $15,000 award offered by the Graduate School and open to all graduate students. The award was received by Nathan Oliver in 2008, Luke Murpree in 2010, and by Caroline Sneed for 2012. The first group of students graduated in 2011 (8) and 7 more graduated in 2012. Of the 15 degrees awarded to date, 13 are as MLA and 2 are MSLA. In a survey of 10 alumni/graduating students this year, 7 of the 8 respondents indicated they were gainfully employed, some as head of their own company. One, a member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, is employed in Cherokee, NC; other graduates appear to be residing in TN. The MLA program was reviewed by an accreditation team in April 2012, with the review panel reaching a conclusion of “met all standards for accreditation”. The Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board is scheduled to vote on full accreditation in August 2012.

Enrollment in the Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Science in Landscape Architecture degree programs since beginning in 2008.

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Enrollment, diversity, retention, and graduation trends CASNR has experienced consistent strong growth in undergraduate enrollment with a 33.3% increase from fall of 2007 to 2011. In the fall of 2007, 849 undergraduate students were enrolled and by fall of 2011, CASNR had an undergraduate enrollment of 1132. In 2007, there were fewer female undergraduate students (47.6%) than male students (52.4%). By fall of 2011,

female students (53.7%) outnumbered male students (46.3%). The increase in enrollment is due both to increases in the effectiveness of the recruitment effort as well as transfers into the college from other colleges within UTK. We believe that one feature that students find attractive is that they are advised by our faculty and our faculty are both available and approachable. The number of students applying to CASNR has increased from 279 in 2007 to 534 in 2011. Of those applying, 60.9% to 72.9% of the students over the last five years were accepted, which is close to the acceptance rate for UTK overall. The CASNR yield rate has ranged from 42.9% to 54.7%.

Incoming CASNR freshmen have ACT and high school GPA scores very similar to and sometimes exceeding those of UTK. ACT and GPA scores show increasingly talented freshmen being admitted, consistent with the trend seen overall throughout the university.

This increased potential of incoming freshmen has underscored the need to create further engagement in programs that focus on rigor. These programs include the honors and undergraduate research programs that focus on critical thinking and professional achievement s.

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Although the students are academically better prepared and capable of challenging work in the classroom, there is a need for developing the “soft skills” along with discipline expertise.

In the summer of 2011, CASNR participated in a national survey aimed at discovering what soft skills employers seek in new graduates. Led by Michigan State University, data were collected from students, alumni, faculty, and employers. Knowledge gained from the survey helps universities understand what soft skills are important for today’s new employees and how educational curricula can be revitalized to ensure that students get those necessary skills. Skills were grouped into seven clusters: experiences, team skills, communication skills, leadership skills, decision making/problem solving skills, self-management skills, and professionalism skills. Communication was identified as the most important soft skill by all groups surveyed with decision making/problem solving ranking a close second. The data collected from CASNR participants correlated closely with national data. Based on survey results, CASNR will retain an emphasis on learning outcomes that focus on these two skill sets. A national effort is under way to develop learning modules and assessments covering soft skills. CASNR faculty/staff have agreed to serve as reviewers of these modules.

Much effort has been devoted to increasing the level of diversity among the undergraduate and graduate student populations in CASNR. That effort has been successful with the percentage of underrepresented students increasing from a mere 6.95% in 2007 to 11.84% in 2011 (an increase numerically of 4.89 percentage points). This increase in undergraduate diversity relative to that in 2007 is not a reflection of any one subgroup but can be shown among all four groups identified – Native Americans, Asians, Blacks, and Hispanic students. The greatest growth has occurred in the last two years, which reflects the success of targeted recruiting efforts in urban areas, including Memphis.

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Students in CASNR, unlike those of many other colleges in the university, are advised by college faculty. This close mentoring relationship pays dividends in terms of retention and graduation. The retention rate for the college exceeded that of UTK as a whole in 2008 and 2010. In 2010, the first year to expect an increase as a result of the effort to recruit a higher quality, more academically prepared student, the graduation rate of CASNR exceeded that of UTK.

Increasing graduate enrollment has been a challenge predominately for two reasons. The first is related to the support that graduate students receive. The ‘tuition waiver’ granted to all students receiving a graduate assistantship must actually be paid from a source of funds provided by the college, AgResearch, or the department. Many funding sources on grants disallow paying the tuition (but not the stipend) of graduate students so this is a significant obstacle to increasing our graduate student numbers. Added to that is the low, non-competitive level of the stipend

support. Another challenge has occurred with getting admission for very talented international students who either have limited access to TOEFL or who have not achieved a high enough score to be granted immediate admission. There is now a limited policy for conditional admission that may help provide a means of admission for this group of students. The number of students enrolled in the master’s program has ranged from 158 to 194 with about 5-20% fewer female than male students depending upon the year.

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Diversity of students enrolled in MS degree programs within the college is a major focus. Progress has been made over the last five years with the exception of Hispanic and American Indian students. The paucity of students from these two groups pursuing graduate degrees is not unusual but may be exacerbated by the STEM nature of agricultural sciences and natural resources disciplines.

Enrollment of students in CASNR doctoral programs has been hampered by the same issues impacting MS degree enrollment – assistantship support and international admissions. There has been less variation in enrollment for the PhD level than there is for the MS level. Enrollment in the doctoral programs has ranged between 71 to 76 students with female students representing between 40-50% of the total. PhD enrollment was impacted by the budget reductions experienced during the last five years because many of the departments elected

to reduce graduate students from half-time to quarter-time to accommodate needed budget reduction targets and yet still retain the tuition waiver attached to individual GTA lines. In many cases, the difference was offset by resources derived from research grants or gift accounts.

With respect to diversity small gains have been made in numbers of black and Hispanic students pursuing doctoral degrees. The largest group of students among the underrepresented population remains the Asian students.

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Goals and Accomplishments (5 years)

When Dr. Beyl assumed the position of dean of the college, Dr. Joe DiPietro (then Vice President of UTIA) tasked her with three primary goals, which were to 1) increase the quantity and quality of students coming into and graduating from the college, 2) enhance the fiscal resource support of the college, and 3) expand the visibility of the college across UTK and elsewhere. The following sections indicate activity occurring in the last five years that support these directives.

Increasing the Quality and Quantity of Students

Admitted and Graduated The consistent enrollment growth experienced by the college at the undergraduate level (shown earlier) can be attributed largely to 1) a wholesale new approach to recruiting launched with the hiring of a Coordinator of Recruiting for CASNR in February of 2008 and 2) the extraordinary commitment by our faculty in taking time to meet with prospective students and share enthusiasm for their disciplines.

Recruitment Strategies The CASNR recruitment plan is based on five key strategies: valuing our current CASNR students; challenging ourselves with continual research, assessment, and change; fostering strategic relationships; focusing on the college experience; and promoting both traditional and non-traditional agriculture.

At CASNR, the value of current students in the recruitment efforts is understood. By developing a highly effective student recruitment organization (the CASNR Ambassadors, discussed later in detail), prospective students have the opportunity to learn about the college from a source that they trust more than any staff or faculty recruiter. The CASNR Ambassadors are also a financially strategic option as they allow the college to broaden its recruitment scale under the coordination of one staff member (the Program Coordinator of Recruitment), without adding the cost of additional full-time staff members. The input of current students is also prioritized when developing new recruitment tools and strategies through surveys and focus groups. Finally, CASNR recognizes the importance of word-of-mouth recruiting. A satisfied CASNR student who can tell fellow UTK students, as well as people from their home-town, about their positive experience is the most effective and efficient recruitment tool of all. Therefore, CASNR strives to provide the best and most comprehensive experience possible for all of our students.

The CASNR recruitment plan is never complete. It is always evolving in order to increase effectiveness, to stay current with trends and technology, and to consistently provide a

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fresh look for the college. This is accomplished through assessment of programs and research on new trends in recruitment. Each semester’s CASNR orientation includes an incoming student survey that helps determine how students first discovered CASNR and what helped them determine their final choice. Every year, a CASNR Ambassador feedback survey is conducted anonymously in order to improve the program for the organization’s students as well as those they recruit. Whenever changes are planned for recruitment tools, such as the CASNR brochure, videos, and recruitment display, current students are first consulted through focus groups. Current students are respected as experts in why students choose CASNR as they recently made that decision themselves. Research on the latest recruitment trends is also compiled regularly through benchmarking recruitment materials and attending regional recruitment conferences, such as the Southern Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers. This assessment and research leads to looking at every recruitment tool or program as an opportunity to rethink and enhance our recruitment plan, rather than as simply an update of information.

CASNR recruitment growth can be attributed to the professional staff member who coordinates our recruitment program, the CASNR Ambassadors who are so effective on recruiting trips and conducting tours, faculty who share their time and effort with prospective students, and all the other individuals with whom we have developed strategic relationships in order to expand the reach of the program. As mentioned previously, CASNR students are strategic partners as official CASNR Ambassadors, focus groups for improvement, and unofficial ambassadors for the college wherever they go in life. CASNR faculty play an important role in the campus tour program, as well as acting as a knowledge source for all recruitment content related to their majors. The University of Tennessee Admissions Counselors, UT Ambassadors, and Orientation Leaders are valued as resources of information for prospective students. Interactive educational programs are developed for these groups each year in order to update them on new CASNR programs and allow them to experience our college’s excellence in personalized attention and hands-on learning. Our institute’s Marketing and Communications department is also seen as a partner in developing recruitment materials. Although content is provided by the Program Coordinator for Recruitment, these staff members make the CASNR experience come to life through brochures and videos. Finally, our college also values “influencers” of the college decision-making process, such as guidance counselors, agriculture and science teachers, and Extension agents. These groups are provided with recruitment materials that are informational yet succinct as well as being an advocate for them and their students in the admissions process.

Based on experiences speaking with prospective students as well as an understanding of the millennial generation, our recruitment material has been strategically focused on the CASNR college experience. The college experience is an area in which CASNR excels by supporting students through personalized faculty advising and friendly staff members, offering hands-on, real-world learning opportunities, as well as providing high-quality academic programs. Students are often recruited with the promise of providing a small college feel with all the

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benefits and resources of a large university. Although career opportunities are highlighted in recruitment tools, students understand that with CASNR, not only will their future offer a prestigious degree, a bright career, and a chance to solve real world problems – but they will also have a fulfilling experience getting there.

One of our greatest challenges when recruiting CASNR students is to dispel misperceptions that exist around the stereotypes about agriculture. The average person today thinks of agriculture as “sows, plows, and cows.” While these may be components of agriculture, it is not the face of agriculture today. By highlighting our pre-professional, business, and engineering options, we can target non-traditional agriculture students. This allows us to broaden our base of prospective students. At the same time, we must never forget our traditional agriculture roots. We honor those students, who have always understood the importance of agriculture, through working with FFA chapters and 4-H groups whenever we have the opportunity.

Focus on Recruitment of Higher Achievement Students In the state of Tennessee, as well as surrounding states, there are several excellent research universities for high-achieving high school students to consider when selecting where to attend college. One of the ways CASNR recruits these students is to offer scholarships, ranging from $500 to $4,500 per year, based on their academic ability as well as financial need. The number of students impacted by CASNR scholarships and the total amount of scholarship support awarded by the college has been on a generally increasing trend from 2004 to 2011. In fall of 2010, the dollar amount of CASNR scholarships awarded hit a milestone of over one million dollars just for the college scholarships alone.

CASNR faculty members have always incorporated undergraduate students in their research initiatives. Students enjoy these experiences as hands-on learning opportunities as well as a form of campus employment. For high-achieving students, undergraduate research may also help their career path as they often move on to graduate school and develop their own research initiatives. Recently, CASNR has also re-made the college’s honors program through the creation of the Community of Scholars Initiative (discussed in more detail later) – an important recruitment tool for high-achieving students. Given the high level of math and science ability required for our majors, we also recruit to high school science and math teachers, in addition to agriculture

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teachers. Finally, by increasing CASNR awareness within the general population of prospective students, particularly with our pre-professional, business, and engineering options, the total number of CASNR applicants can be increased, which allows selection of higher achieving students.

Effective Usage of the CASNR Ambassadors The CASNR Ambassadors, a student organization devoted to serving the college, recruiting prospective students, and educating the community about agriculture, has grown tremendously within the last five years. The college has invested in these students as a way to expand the physical recruitment range, to enhance our recruitment plan using student input, and to provide prospective students with someone they can easily relate and look up to. In order to improve the CASNR Ambassador organization, a shared governance philosophy was adopted with the students where their voices were valued in the re-organization of the group. This was done through focus groups, anonymous feedback surveys, as well as regular one-on-one meetings with the organization’s advisor, the Program Coordinator of Recruitment. This philosophy has also allowed Ambassadors to become leaders within the organization, with a goal to develop them personally and professionally. Ambassadors are given the opportunity to play a role in the direction of the organization, as well as having the opportunity to leave their personal mark on the college through a spring leadership project. Whether leading campus tours, working on their leadership projects, or representing CASNR at college fairs across the state, Ambassadors are expected to perform at a high level. Before the school year even begins, there is a 2-day Fall Training Retreat to educate Ambassadors on their job duties and the academic opportunities within our college, as well as build ourselves as a team with clear expectations - a high level of communication, and an even higher level of personal responsibility as a representative of our college. In the spring, a Teambuilding and Planning retreat is held to prepare for leadership projects and re-kindle the sense of community after the winter break. While CASNR Ambassadors do meet weekly during the semester, these retreats develop students into professional recruiters for the college. In order to motivate Ambassadors, a scholarship system was developed where students can earn up to $1000 a year for their service to the college. In addition to recruitment growth, one of the key signs of success of this program has been the number of hours that CASNR Ambassadors have volunteered above their scholarship requirement. They truly have a desire to serve the college and community.

Social Media and Recruitment Materials CASNR recruitment materials and our online presence are constantly changing to provide better recruitment effectiveness. At the time of this review, our college brochure, major guide, and 11 recruitment videos are currently being remade. In 2009, a college brochure was designed that was unique amongst its peers. Its theme of “Life is a Journey. Take it with CASNR” followed our strategy of focusing on the college experience. The cover and internal layout was deliberately designed to look very different from that of other colleges. Given the misunderstandings about agriculture, all CASNR majors and concentrations were explained in a

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way that students, parents, and other influencers could easily comprehend. Based on comments from prospective students and agriculture teachers, this brochure was an excellent recruitment tool. CASNR was honored by winning the award for best brochure by the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. CASNR students and faculty as well as UTIA Marketing and Communications all played a role in this achievement. In order to improve our brochure for 2012, QR codes will be incorporated, which will allow prospective students to scan the QR code in the brochure with a smart phone and instantly view a CASNR video related to each major. To provide a valuable and convenient resource to college-decision influencers such as guidance counselors, a CASNR major guide was developed with a chart that helps them link students’ interests to specific CASNR majors. This is especially useful for the busy guidance counselor, as well as non-traditional agriculture students, who may not have a full understanding of the many opportunities in agriculture. Non-traditional agriculture students have also been targeted by remaking our college fair table cloth to include hands-on student learning photos from each major. Not only will this catch the eyes of the prospective students, it will also promote the diversity of disciplines represented in agriculture and environmental sciences.

Reinventing CASNR’s Online Presence – the 2007-2011 CASNR Website

The 2007 CASNR Website The 2007 CASNR website redesign was initiated by the release of a new UTK website template and utilized until 2011. The UTIA Information Technology office maintained the website and updated our information, announcements, and news stories through content provided by the Dean’s Office staff as well as UTIA Marketing and Communications. During this time period, two major changes were made.

First, an Advising Help chat box was added to the advising website. This allowed students to chat directly with the Director of Academic Success Programs and Outreach Initiatives without sending an email or calling on the phone. In addition to making it easier and less intimidating for students to interact with our Director, it also allowed her to easily track and save student chat interactions on file for further reference.

Second, a new prospective undergraduate student website was created with the assistance of a Communications graduate student in 2008. The new website was visually appealing and driven by focus group research of current and prospective student preferences for the way recruitment information is delivered. The website incorporated links to currently existing resources as well as newly created informational videos on the admissions process, student life, and our academic programs. It also provided students with the opportunity to schedule an

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“Ag Campus” tour as well as complete an information request form. A very positive response came from these online forms both in increased number of requests as well as ease in quickly ascertaining the needs of particular prospective students. In an effort to have a presence where students congregate, CASNR also established a Facebook page and Twitter feed. Although they are primarily for current students, prospective students are free to utilize these social media as a way of joining in on the CASNR experience from home.

The 2011 CASNR Website In 2011, UTIA Information Technology began the transition of the CASNR website to a new Microsoft SharePoint web system that was adopted by the University of Tennessee. While UTIA Extension was the first website series to be moved to the new system, CASNR was the first college website from the University of Tennessee to be transitioned. The purpose of this transition to SharePoint was to allow faculty and staff to directly control the websites for which they are responsible in a manner that is user-friendly and allows for flexibility while maintaining one consistent look across the department/institute. With basic training, faculty and staff could update and enhance their websites as well as create new subpages without having to go through Information Technology offices.

In 2011, the Program Coordinator for Recruitment took the lead role in coordinating with UTIA Information Technology our website’s transition. She took over website maintenance and updating from IT. We looked at this transition as an opportunity to reinvent our website with

several new features. An event calendar was added that had the capability to include an event end-date such that the event would automatically remove itself from the calendar on the CASNR homepage once concluded, eliminating the necessity for a person to do this manually. Given the importance of social networking as a communications tool with our students, a newsfeed of

our CASNR Facebook and Twitter accounts was incorporated on the homepage. In order to provide straight-forward information to our web users, the academic department listing was expanded to include full contact information as well as a listing of Department Heads and Undergraduate and Graduate Coordinators for each department. Our advising resources website was separated into resources for advisors and resources for students on two different websites.

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This allowed students to more easily find the information directly applicable to them. Finally, our online resources for prospective students were enhanced through the following three websites: an improved tour request form, ask a recruiter form, and areas of study/major selector guide. Our new tour request form offered specific tour time options to prospective students as well as the requirement to register for their tour a week in advance. Tour time options are chosen based on Ambassador tour guide availability. The time requirement allows our CASNR Ambassador Scheduling Coordinator enough time to coordinate the tour details with an Ambassador tour guide as well as a CASNR professor from the student’s major of choice. Students are given a comments section of the form to denote extenuating circumstances such as requesting an alternative time if necessary. Our Ask a Recruiter form has been very successful in encouraging students to contact our Program Coordinator for Recruitment with questions or information requests, with significant improvement over simply linking to an email address. Finally, for undecided prospective students, an ‘areas of study/major’ selector guide was created that consists of a chart matching student interest to direct links to our associated CASNR majors and concentrations.

2012 CASNR Website In 2012, UTK released a new website template to be adopted that included website navigation dropdown menus rather than left-side links in order to better serve smart phone and tablet internet users. UTIA Information Technology customized this template for our college, as well as other UTIA departments. The Program Coordinator for Recruitment continued her role in website coordination and worked with IT as well as the Assistant Dean to develop the

appearance and navigation options of the new website. This included addition of quick link buttons to highlight our college’s areas of excellence (such as experiential learning). It also involved an overall reorganization of navigation links and a plan for updates and enhancements to all of the 2011 website pages. We are on track to launch the new website in the fall of 2012.

In addition to transferring and updating our current pages, many new web pages to better serve our current and prospective student population were added.

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A CASNR-specific study abroad web page is being developed to provide information on current trips as well as photo galleries and testimonials from previous trips. Furthermore, a broader “CASNR Around the Globe” web page will highlight our research trips, internships, and academic or student club field trips, in addition to our study abroad programs. Our “Experiential Learning” page will feature undergraduate research experiences, hands-on learning opportunities, professional development for students, and internships – all which give our students the edge of experience to supplement their academic achievements. As a bragging spot for our departments as well as encouragement for current and prospective students, we are creating a “CASNR Alumni All-Stars” page including brief bios of some of our highly successful alumni. “Why Choose CASNR?” will provide users with videos to promote what makes CASNR a unique experience for its students. The equally important issue of “Paying for College” will also be addressed with a website providing a resource guide to financial aid, scholarships, work study, and assistantships. Finally, our online recruitment presence will be further expanded through separate admissions information pages for incoming freshman, transfer and graduate students. Pre- and post-launch assessments will be performed by a focus group of CASNR students to ensure that we are meeting all of their online needs.

Diversity initiatives CASNR seeks to create and maintain an inclusive and diverse working and learning environment that fosters attainment of diversity among faculty, staff, and students through the creation and implementation of its strategic diversity management plan (Appendix III). This plan includes a structure to recruit, retain, and reward individuals by making them feel welcomed and valued, irrespective of their gender, race, and place within the college. To this end CASNR, in 2011, set about formally creating a diversity management plan to highlight its commitment to diversity and cultural competence.

Recruitment of underrepresented students According to the Agriculture Fact Book (1998), demographic trends indicate that ethnic minority populations are increasing; and more of these students must be recruited into agriculture careers in order to sustain the agricultural industry for the future and to help ensure that the U.S. remains competitive in the global economy. Furthermore, demographic projections indicate that over the next 20 years, employers and the United States economy will largely rely on a workforce drawn from urban communities. In addition, racial and ethnic minorities currently comprise 28% of the U.S. population and during the next ten years, non-Hispanic whites are projected to constitute only 25% of the population growth. As a result of these demographic changes, opportunities to maintain a pipeline of future professionals, scientists, and competitive practitioners in agriculture will depend on the ability to attract students from nontraditional backgrounds. By enhancing recruitment of underrepresented populations of students, CASNR is well poised to contribute to alleviating this pipeline issue and can significantly increase the number of both women and minorities in disciplines where even small additional numbers could have a major impact of improving diversity.

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CASNR promotes a nurturing environment that allows for increased minority participation and recognition by personally providing the sense of care and family that is necessary for minority students to succeed in a campus environment. Dr. Theressa Cooper, Director of Academic Success Programs and Outreach Initiatives, is responsible for college-wide retention and diversity initiatives. She has expertise in utilizing cultural studies knowledge to analyze how youth and adolescent “students of color” make career decisions regarding agricultural STEM fields within the frames of race, class, gender, socio-economics, power, and social justice. This knowledge is currently being used to create and implement recruitment initiatives while addressing the many negative perceptions of many African Americans with respect to agriculture, and demystifying opportunities in agricultural related STEM fields. The African American population in CASNR has increased in the last eight years due in no small part to these targeted recruitment efforts.

CASNR partners with the UT Admissions Office on several directed initiatives (directed mailings, targeting urban centers, and referrals) and campus programs for prospective underrepresented students at the undergraduate level. The UT Chapter of The National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) has been instrumental in helping promote agriculture across the state to prospective minority students through participation in university, college, and state wide events. MANRRS members also promote agriculture through recruitment activities in their former high schools and their respective community groups and organizations.

In fall 2010, CASNR began specifically targeting underrepresented students for its graduate programs. Departmental brochures were created for graduate programs in each academic department. Dr. Cooper attended graduate school & career fairs geared toward increasing the minority presence in STEM fields like those in CASNR. In 2011, CASNR was represented at 3 graduate school fairs including UT Chattanooga Graduate and Career Fair – Chattanooga, Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation – Savannah, GA, and Fisk University Graduate and Career Fair - Nashville.

Retention and completion of underrepresented students CASNR maintains a fervent commitment to multiculturalism, student access, and academic and professional achievement. The Director of Academic Success Programs and Outreach Initiatives provides academic and cultural support services to help students in need of help dealing with the academic demands and navigating the cultural landscape. In terms of student retention, research has shown that institutional fit and campus integration are important to retaining underrepresented college students to degree completion; campus climate mediates undergraduates’ academic and social experiences in college; and for many minority students, enrollment and persistence decisions are driven by the availability of financial aid.

Within CASNR, these benchmarks are accomplished using a multifaceted approach. First, we recognize the sense of connectedness needed by most minority students at predominately white

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institutions. Minority students - at whatever stage they enter the college – seek connections with minority faculty members not only within their department but also throughout the college. These faculty members act as mentors and offer a sense of camaraderie necessary to foster a sense of belonging and acceptance in their new academic community. Second, the student organization, MANNRS, serves as one of our main conduits to reaching and in engaging with minority students. MANNRS provides a framework for academic, professional and social development of underrepresented students through leadership experiences, networking and professional development opportunities; and offering aid in the recruitment and placement of ethnic minorities in professional positions in the agricultural sciences, forestry, and natural resources. Both methods have proven to be successful in combating stressors for minority students, such as not having enough professors of one’s race, difficulties making friends with non-minorities, overcoming discrimination and prejudice, and doubts about their ability to succeed in their intended major. Third, just as in recruiting, CASNR’s ability to make college significantly more affordable via yearly, renewable scholarships in addition to other university grants and scholarships have greatly aided retention.

A major challenge to the retention of minority students is academic preparedness upon entering college. Many of our minority student body enter pre-professional concentrations that require high attainment in both science and math. Herein lies the challenge - many of the students entering these programs are unprepared for college-level science and math. To this end, the decentralized advising offered within CASNR is vital for making the student aware of campus resources to help academically, socially, and professionally.

Strategies for Enhanced Student Success

Learning Community In 2007, CASNR was asked by The Office of Housing to pilot a learning community, primarily to show how successful such programs can be in smaller academic colleges. The idea is that by giving students the opportunity to live in the same residence hall, take courses together, and participate in common activities outside of the classroom, they could meet students who share the same academic or career interests, form study groups, and hence get more out of their classes. As a result of this enhanced student experience and engagement, it is expected that student retention would increase. To date, CASNR has had 144 student participants in the community, with an average of 28 students each year. All students in the learning community are enrolled in ANR 317: Learning Community Seminar, a mandatory 1-credit course for CASNR learning community members in the fall semesters. During the fall, this course serves as an interactive introduction to CASNR. Students participate in experiential learning workshops conducted by various faculty and staff members throughout CASNR. These events range from: geo-caching (a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game in which players locate hidden containers called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices), touring the turf grass grounds of the athletic stadiums, making ice-cream, participating in a mock trading floor and sticking their hands in a fistulated cow to learn about the rumination process, etc.. The purpose of such events

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is to learn how all majors/departments in CASNR are interconnected from a local, regional, and global perspective. During the spring, the learning community focuses on servant leadership through community service and volunteerism opportunities.

Intrusive academic advising CASNR utilizes the intrusive model of advising as a means of promoting increased retention across the eight academic departments. Because advising is decentralized to each department instead of a college-wide advising center, the intrusive model works very effectively. This is due in part to the ability of faculty/staff members to build relationships with student advisees that extend beyond simply doling out a list of classes each semester. Intrusive advising is action-oriented towards involving and motivating students to seek help when needed and not waiting until the moment of “crisis” that for some may prove to be too late (http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/index.htm). Further, CASNR faculty advisors are proactive about making initial contact with students who may be having academic issues, gotten off track from their degree program, or may be in danger of failing courses. CASNR uses a two-step advising process for those students in academic crisis. Step one is meeting with his or her departmental advisor to discuss curriculum issues and concerns, and step two is meeting with the Director of Academic Success Programs and Outreach Initiatives to discuss specific success strategies. The director is also available to students via an online chat feature linked to the CASNR website as well as through in-office visits, texting, phone and email conversations.

Honors program and undergraduate research Elite universities have very stringent and selective entry requirements and spend substantial time and resources to retain quality students once they have arrived on campus. At The University of Tennessee, ACT scores have risen steadily since the Tennessee Hope lottery-funded scholarship began in 2004. In the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR), average ACT scores increased by 2.7 points in the years between 2006 and 2011; this is greater than the overall UTK increase of 2.0. In 2010 and 2011, there were approximately 20 CASNR students in the Chancellor’s Honors Program. Now that these academically elite students are attending CASNR, programming to address the needs of the best and the brightest student is a critical need. To address this pivotal need, CASNR launched the Community of Scholars Initiative (CoSI) in Fall 2011 under the leadership of its Director of Undergraduate Research and Honors Programs, Dr. Kimberly Gwinn.

Community of Scholars In it iative The mission of the CoSI is to provide enhanced learning opportunities outside of the classroom for academically elite students as well as for motivated students who demonstrate interest in going beyond the classroom.

The purpose of CoSI is to fully engage students in the myriad learning environments available in a Research Level 1 university and to provide learning opportunities outside the university that provide students with experiences and skills to become leaders in the global economy. The goals

http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/index.htm

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of the CoSI are: 1) to develop student-centered programming that increases experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students; 2) to increase attraction of the best and brightest students to CASNR and to retain these students through graduation; and 3) to produce graduates who are excellent candidates for both the best employment positions and for advanced studies at premier graduate/professional schools.

CoSI has a three-part structure to meet the needs of all students who are interested in programming that goes beyond the classroom.

1. Dean’s Scholars. Programming for The Dean’s Scholars, which is designed for academically elite students, begins in the freshman year. The first class of Dean’s Scholars entered in Fall 2011. This program is designed to provide common experiences for CASNR students who are in the Chancellor’s Honors Program.

2. Honors. This is the traditional honors program in CASNR. CASNR Honors is achieved by maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.50 in the major and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25, completing 12 credit hours of appropriate honors courses, and writing a thesis for an undergraduate research project. Appropriate courses are honors sections of junior level courses numbered 300 or higher in the major, honors-by-contract contract courses (approved by the Honors Coordinator), and graduate level courses numbered at the 500-level, taken for undergraduate credit. Students must earn a minimum grade of 3.00 in each course. Internship and independent study courses are excluded from these 12 credit hours of coursework. The numbers of students participating in honors has increased greatly from less than five in 2006 to 2008 to 17 in 2011.

3. Undergraduate Research Apprenticeships. Research apprenticeships are designed for motivated students who demonstrate interest in going beyond the classroom but do not want to enter the Honors program. This allows them to still gain experience working with a faculty mentor and obtaining experience with the process of conducting research

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without the additional commitments inherent in the Honor’s program. Many times, these students are interested in research that has more immediate application.

Several milestones have been achieved in the first year of this effort. The first class of Dean’s Scholars (Class of 2015) began their freshman year in 2011. These 12 scholars participated in a retreat at Wesley Woods immediately prior to the beginning of classes. Students participated in Life of the Mind Discussion, leadership exercises, and both low and high ropes courses. Students presented newly appointed Assistant Dean John Stier with a map of Tennessee after locating their

hometowns on the map and relating fun facts about their hometowns. While at the introductory retreat, Dean’s Scholars decided that their motto would be ‘Taking Flight’ and a logo was designed by Alana Burnham. The logo contains an owl and plants and its predominate color is maize (the academic color for agriculture). The Dean’s Scholars also refer to themselves as “CASNRds”.

Ariel Buehler, a Class of 2014 Haslam Scholar, developed programming in cooperation with the Wesley Woods staff, Dr. Gwinn, and Dean Beyl.

Monthly dinner meetings were held throughout the first semester and less frequently the second semester. Faculty members were invited to every session. Scholars indicated that getting to know faculty and research opportunities were top priorities for meetings.

Drs. Gwinn, Logan, and Beyl were awarded USDA Challenge Grant entitled “BRIDGE for the Future: Building Research Interest and Developing Global Engagement in USDA-NIFA Priority Areas.” The project integrated undergraduate research and community awareness of the five USDA NIFA Priority Areas (Climate Change, Childhood Obesity, Food Safety, Global Food Security and Hunger, and Sustainable Energy). A portion of this project partially funds the BRIDGE program for inter-college undergraduate research. This

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includes CASNR students who wish to work with a mentor in another college. Eight inter-college projects (50% of submissions) were funded by the BRIDGE program. Proposals were selected based on rankings by panels of anonymous faculty reviewers. Awards were made to mentors and students who were in the Colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences (A&S), and Engineering (COE). One CASNR undergraduate project was funded and CASNR faculty were research mentors for six projects involving students from other colleges. Projects in all of the USDA-NIFA Priority Areas were funded. In addition to research apprenticeships, funding was obtained to increase awareness of the USDA-NIFA Priority Areas in eastern Tennessee high

schools.

Interest in undergraduate research extends well beyond the honors programs. Each department in CASNR has an undergraduate course that focuses on research and/or development outside the classroom. For many students participation in Experiences in Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA) is their first experience in presenting research to others. In 2009, Dr. Beyl requested that Dr. Gwinn be the CASNR

representative to EURēCA. In 2009, ten students exhibited in EURēCA (considered to be a high number at the time). Participation in EURēCA has increased each year and in 2012, 33 students participated in this activity. Because participation has become ingrained in the culture of CASNR, at the next Gamma Sigma Delta meeting (agricultural honorary society), a motion will be made to discontinue incentive pay ($50) to students who turn in paper work early and compete in EURēCA, so that the organization can provide additional rewards to winners of the competition. In 2011, Gamma Sigma Delta initiated a second EURēCA poster section held in conjunction with the spring meeting of the organization. This allowed more CASNR faculty, students, and staff to view the posters and interact with the students. Student participation is this event was high, with about 75% of the EURēCA presenters participating in both 2011 and 2012. In addition, students from Biosystems Engineering routinely compete in the Engineering Division of EURēCA and have been recognized with award winning entries in each of the past four years.

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Experiential Learning CASNR students participate in a multitude of experiential learning opportunities. While budgets have restrained conventional laboratory classes which have been a mainstay of CASNR and other STEM institutions, faculty and staff have found other ways to provide meaningful experiential learning options through internships, service learning courses, and other types of activities or courses.

Internships Many students in CASNR take advantage of one or more internship opportunities. CASNR students typically get paid by the employer for their internship. The Plant Sciences Department requires their undergraduate students to complete at least one internship and other departments strongly encourage internships. Students can enroll in internship as a formal class, which is usually repeatable, and obtain up to 12 credits of internship depending on the major. The actual course number varies by department, major, or concentration. Examples of recent internship placements include the Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), Knoxville Zoo, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The majority of internships are often identified for the student by the advisor (e.g., 90% in Plant Science, 80% in Food Science & Technology) as a result of the professional networking done by the students’ advisors due to the nature of their split appointment with research and/or Extension. Internships also offer a way of helping to internationalize the curriculum as our faculty increasingly find international internships for students. For example, Dr. John Sorochan has two students on internships at sports field venues in England in 2012. An example of what such internships mean to students is evidenced by this quote: "I’ve known since I was young that medical missions were something I had a heart for and going to Central America confirmed everything I had always felt. The people change you and make you remember that life isn’t all about what you can get out of it but rather what you can give to it." -Kathleen Burg, Food Science and Technology, after interning on a medical mission trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Practicums Three courses, Biosystems Engineering (BSE) 444, Forestry 492, and Wildlife and Fisheries 295, provide practical experience, usually off-campus, in a slightly different fashion than a conventional internship. Students in Wildlife and Fisheries 295 must work with a state, federal, or private natural resource organization, submit a work plan subject to their advisor’s approval, keep a written log of activities, and submit a written report upon completion. Students can earn 1 credit for each 160 hours worked to a maximum of 6 credits. Forestry 492, Practicum in Forestry, uses supervised experience at a departmental-approved employment location for juniors and seniors. BSE 444 functions more as a conventional class, with students applying engineering theory and design in fabricating products through a 1 hour lecture and 2 lab courses weekly.

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Service Learning Various departments employ service learning opportunities in their own way. For example, Plant Sciences combines environmental service and community outreach in the course “Native Plants in the Landscape” with students providing restoration of the natural environment to parks, schools, and other public areas (http://plantsciences.utk.edu/pdf/spring_2009_newsletter.pdf). Other classes with service learning components include Plant Science (PLSC) 360-Practicum in Landscape Construction, PLSC 437-Public Garden Operations and Management, and PLSC 226-Public Horticulture. Since 2010, 127 students have participated in the Plant Science service learning courses.

Information Placement and career preparation

Career Placement Information on career placement relies on self-reporting by BS graduates. Departments in the College attempt to collect placement data though efforts are hampered by the need to rely on graduates who are often busily preparing for post-graduate life. Data for spring 2012 BS degree graduates were received from two departments: Agricultural & Resource Economics (AREC) and Plant Sciences.

Employment of BS graduates from two departments of College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, May 2012. Department

Situation AREC (n=14) Plant Sciences (n=20)

Accepted job offer 8 (57%) 11 (55%)

Internship 1 (7%) ---

Not employed 1 (7%)-not looking 3 (15%)

Graduate school 3 (21%) 4 (20%)

Unreported 1 (7%) 1 (5%)

The campus career services office posts salary information, again relying on self-reporting (http://career.utk.edu/pdf/Salary%20Survey%202010-2011.pdf). The highest paying jobs for students graduating from CASNR tended to be in Food Science and Technology and Animal Science; lowest paying occupations were in Forest Resources. On a university basis, CASNR alumni received the fourth highest mean starting salary.

http://plantsciences.utk.edu/pdf/spring_2009_newsletter.pdf

http://career.utk.edu/pdf/Salary%20Survey%202010-2011.pdf

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Starting salary ($) information for types of degree programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (Source: http://career.utk.edu/pdf/Salary%20Survey%202010-2011.pdf and http://career.utk.edu/pdf/Salary%20Survey%202008-2009.pdf).

Year Major/Department n High Low 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08

Agric Econ & Bus./Food & Ag Bus.*

7

31,500

17,000

23,447

NA**

17,680

NA

Animal Science 4 52,603 52,603 NA NA 52,603 28,880 Environmental & Soil Science

4

40,000

15,000

NA

NA

24,150

NA

Food Science & Technology

3

50,000

34,000

NA

NA

42,000

NA

Forest Resources 2 15,000 12,000 NA NA 13,500 NA Horticulture & Agronomy/Plant Sciences*

3

35,000

24,000

28,000

33,500

38,000

NA

*Combined beginning with 2010 data **NA = not available Mean starting salary ($) information of undergraduate alumni from the colleges of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Source: http://career.utk.edu/pdf/Salary%20Survey%202010-2011.pdf).

College n High Low 2010-11 Mean

Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources 16 76,000 17,000 34,965 Architecture & Design 10 46,000 19,760 36,622 Arts & Sciences 31 55,000 14,000 26,765 Business 211 75,000 18,600 43,742 Communications 15 43,000 15,392 26,202 Engineering 96 96,000 18,000 56,225 Education, Health & Human Sciences 21 44,000 15,000 32,323

Part ic ipation in the CASNR Job Fair The annual CASNR Career Fairs have been very successful with good attendance by both

organizations and students. Even during tough economic times, employers including State and Federal government agencies, large and small businesses, and non-profit organizations have consistently come to campus to recruit our high-quality students. Several of the departments within the college also participate in the Fair to advertise their graduate programs. Many of the employers are repeat attendees, while each year new companies are added. The number of alumni who come back to represent their employers continues to increase. Employers consistently comment favorably on the professionalism of the event as well as the level of preparedness of attending students. Students attending the Fair are predominantly from CASNR;





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however, in recent years, attendance of students from other colleges within UT has increased. Students enjoy the opportunity to visit face-to-face with employers regarding internships, part-time, and full-time jobs. For several years, we have joined with student groups to provide lunch for recruiters.

Student participation in the annual U.S. Poultry & Egg Association College Student Career Program has significantly increased in the past three years. This program is held in conjunction with the International Poultry Expo, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Emily Gray, CASNR Director of Student Services, coordinates the event, and along with Mary Mahoney, UT Career Services, accompanies the students on the trip. The program provides an opportunity for college students to experience the largest annual gathering of people in the poultry industry including technology and services. The event provides exhibits and educational programs as valuable tools that can help students make the transition from academics to industry. In addition to visiting with exhibitors and touring the Expo, students have the opportunity to interview for internships and full-time jobs with companies in the industry. Many positive comments were received by students attending and participation in this event is expected to continue to grow.

Workshops to support employment readiness For the past three years, CASNR and Career Services have partnered with the UT chapter

of Gamma Sigma Delta (the Honor Society of Agriculture) to provide a Career Workshop in advance of the Career Fair. These events have been successful in providing students with career-related assistance in preparation for the career fairs and other employment or internship opportunities. Gamma Sigma Delta provided lunch and soft drinks and helped with facility arrangements. Many positive comments were received from participants. Students appreciated the individual attention provided in the informal setting. Plans are to continue this as an annual event.

CASNR has partnered with employers to host Dining Etiquette Dinner events for students. With support of the employer and CASNR, students are provided with a nice meal, a presentation on dining etiquette, and a portfolio. Dining etiquette is an important aspect of career planning as employers often interview candidates over a meal. Students dress appropriately for the event and get the opportunity to practice etiquette skills.

Attendance Interviews0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

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Interviews Resulting from Attendance at the College Student Career Program Sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

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International activity The College has made progress on its journey to internationalize the CASNR learning experience. This is consistent with the University’s “Ready for the World” initiative and also with being a top-25 University. The College embraces the ideal expressed by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) for U.S. students to attain a global competence of being “knowledgeable about diverse countries and cultures and sensitive to cultural differences, having experience living and working in other countries, incorporating foreign perspectives into one’s work, and interacting effectively with people from other countries and cultures.” Achieving this ideal requires time, resources, a cultural shift, and a long-term commitment. CASNR is in the early part of this journey and is committed to its accomplishment.

History The Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tennessee established the Office of International Programs for Agriculture and Natural Resources in the mid-1970s. This office was responsible for a range of activities covering teaching, research and extension programs and linking these programs with international counterparts. Although such linkages involved multiple countries and areas of the world, these programs had a geographical focus with Thailand and with Kasetsart University for over 30 years. During that time, numerous CASNR faculty and students participated in faculty and students tours, research and extension collaboration, and graduate student education of Thai students at CASNR. Although an official linkage relationship with Kasetsart and UTIA ended in 2010, several CASNR faculty continue to have ties in Thailand. In the spring of 2009, the Director of the Office of International Programs for Agriculture and Natural Resources retired, and due to budget constraints existing at that time, the position was not filled, and that office and its programs ended.

UTIA International Advisory Council (IAC) Following the closure of UTIA’s International Office, 25 UTIA faculty met over the summer of 2009 to discuss their concerns regarding this closure, and also to discuss their vision for international efforts at UTIA. A four-page report summarizing their deliberations and suggestions was submitted to Vice President of Agriculture Dr. Joe DiPietro in late fall of 2009. After meeting with members of this faculty group in the spring of 2010, Dr. DiPietro established a ten-member council to advise and work with UTIA administration to help support UTIA’s international programs. This council includes nine UTIA faculty and the director of UT’s Center for International Education, Dr. Pia Wood, and ex-officio members Dr. Beyl and the three other UTIA Deans.

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CASNR Efforts to Internationalize Since arriving in Tennessee, Dr. Beyl has been concerned by the absence of a committed and sustained effort to internationalize the academic program. Since the first IAC meeting, Dr. Beyl has been an active participant and has encouraged the Council to work with her in internationalizing the CASNR learning experience. These efforts include the following:

Study Abroad. In the fall of 2010, the Study Abroad (SA) Office of UT’s Center for International Education (CIE) hosted a two-hour workshop for six CASNR faculty at CIE offices. The purpose of this workshop was to help faculty better understand the roles and functions of the SA office and what it does in guiding and supporting students in their SA activities. In addition, the SA office also outlined what CASNR faculty can do to better prepare students for study abroad activities. In the spring of 2011, Dr. Beyl appointed Dr. David Ostermeier as CASNR Study Abroad Coordinator. Immediately prior to the fall semester of 2011, CASNR held a faculty workshop and two hours of that was devoted to study abroad whereby SA personnel again helped CASNR faculty better understand SA programs. There are two major types of SA activities outlined below, semester-long programs and short term, faculty led programs.

1. Semester Long Study Abroad. Between 2007 and 2011, 20 CASNR students have been involved in semester abroad programs, a very low number given the number of students at CASNR. One goal of the college is to substantially increase the number of students participating in a semester abroad program. For this to happen, CASNR has begun an effort to establish linkages with several English-speaking universities that are good matches for its students. In May 2011, CASNR faculty Dr. Donald Hodges, along with CIE personnel, visited three UK universities. This has resulted in the identification of two Universities that are good matches for CASNR students regarding semester long SA: The University of Nottingham and University College Dublin. In the last half of March 2012, Dr. David Ostermeier visited eight universities in Australia and New Zealand to also identify potential matches for CASNR students. A member of each of CASNR’s departments has been identified who will be the international advisor for students in each department. Our goal is to identify courses at multiple universities that will meet required courses in CASNR degree programs, and which semesters will be most advantageous for students to study abroad. Providing this kind of help and SA preparation has not been done by CASNR before. Historically, students, and their advisors--who generally had limited to no information about specific international universities--have largely had to figure this out for themselves.

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2. Short Term Study Abroad. Between 2007 and 2011, there have been a number of CASNR faculty-led programs spanning several continents where the majority of students have been CASNR students.

Year Thailand Jamaica Lesotho Ghana Vietnam Europe: Menendez

Orr Smith Eash Amadou Sall/Smith

Smith/Orr 09-Italy; 10-Ireland-England; 11-Holland-France

2007 12 13 2

2008 12 12

2009 12 12 16

2010 8 11 17

2011 12 14

Normally, 10-12 students participate in these short-term (2-4 week) programs. At peer institutions like the University of Georgia, agriculture faculty normally lead 7-10 programs annually. The college wants to significantly increase opportunities for its students to participate in these programs via the following mechanisms. First, increase the number of CASNR faculty leading such programs. Although faculty may have professional contacts in other countries, developing meaningful tours requires considerable time and effort. Ways of reducing this burden are under investigation, such as utilizing businesses that provide study activities. The college is also looking into how to provide incentives and assistance to faculty who may want to establish a short-term SA course, but do not know how to begin. Second, identify existing short-term SA courses offered by other universities whereby those universities will add CASNR students and allow them to pay in-state tuition. For example, the University of Georgia has a campus in Costa Rica and has numerous courses of possible interest to our students at a relative reasonable cost.

Supporting Faculty and Changing the Culture. The College has not had a history of active international linkages, and internationalizing the CASNR learning experience has not been a high priority in the past. An example of this is the little used college minor in International Agriculture and Natural Resources. This minor was developed in 2006 by a handful of interested faculty; however, few faculty know of its existence or do not encourage their advisees to use it. In essence, the faculty have not fully realized the value of the minor. To help faculty better understand the value of internationalizing the CASNR learning experience, the following initiatives are under development.

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1. Internationalizing Workshop. The Teaching and Learning Center at the University has agreed to help College faculty answer some important questions regarding “what does it mean to internationalize the CASNR learning experience”, including “what are the learning outcomes for our students, and how can those be accomplished in existing courses as well as SA activities?” Toward this end, Dr. Ostermeier and the departmental SA advisors will be working with the Teaching and Learning Center in spring and over the summer of 2012 to develop a workshop that the Center will facilitate for College Faculty.

2. Faculty incentives including promotion and tenure considerations. Working with the UTIA International Advisory Council, the College would like to see an examination of the incentive structure regarding faculty efforts to internationalize their teaching programs. In addition, the College would like to know what could be done to provide better incentives for faculty to internationalize their teaching programs.

International Association of Students in Agriculture and Related Sciences (IAAS). Founded in Tunis in1957, IAAS is one of the world’s largest student organizations and the leading association involving agriculture and related science students. The aims of IAAS are to promote the exchange of knowledge, information and ideas among students, and to improve the mutual understanding between countries and cultures. CASNR began a chapter of this organization in 2010, and in February of 2011, four CASNR students and two advisors participated in the IAAS U.S. National Summit at the University of Georgia. The CASNR students became very engaged at that meeting and so enthused that Austin Leedy—one of the four students—ran for, and was elected, the U.S. national president. A major responsibility that came along with that position was that CASNR—very successfully--hosted the 2012 National Summit, March 1-4, with significant support from Dr. Beyl. In addition, two CASNR students participated in the three-week IAAS World Congress in Macedonia in July and August of 2011 with support from the Dean’s office and two more are being supported to attend the 2012 IAAS World Congress meeting.

Ad hoc task force efforts

Curricular Efficiency Audit In fall of 2009, CASNR launched an effort to examine its curricular efficiency with a visit to each department by the dean. Data were shared on course scheduling, frequency, enrollment, and capacity to allow departments to make revisions for reducing redundancy, inefficient scheduling, and undersubscribed offerings. As a result of the curriculum audit, departments focused on dropping undersubscribed courses, revised course contents to combine courses into one where there had been significant overlap, and implemented other efficiency measures including the following:

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Department Courses Action

Agricultural and Resource Economics

AGEC 430 Senior Policy Changed to alternate year offering

Animal Science ANSC 620 Topics in Microbial Pathogenesis

Dropped due to the cost of bringing in prominent speakers

Entomology and Plant Pathology

EPP 643 DNA Analysis and EPP 545 Plant Microtechnique

Not offering these two courses.

Food Systems Technology

FDST 419 Food Chemistry laboratory

Dropped since material was covered effectively by FST 445 – Applied Food Science.

Plant Science PLSC 437 Public Garden Operation and Management and PS 427 Management and Administration of Public Horticulture Institutions

Two courses were combined

PLSC 220 Basic Landscape Plants, PLSC 290 Fall Herbaceous Plants and PLSC 291 Spring Herbaceous Plants

Three courses combined into two - PLSC 220 Landscape Plants I and PLSC 221 Landscape Plants II.

PLSC 494 Professional Horticulture Communications and PLSC 448 Horticultural Internet Technology

Two courses combined into PLSC 494 Professional Horticulture Communications

PLSC 458 and 459 Weed Management lab sections

Combined into one lab section

PLSC 410 Nursery Production and Management

Lab section dropped

PLSC 446 Horticultural Therapy Course not scheduled

Taskforce on Quality Graduate Education In response to the growing need to ensure the effectiveness of our training of graduate students particularly in the current environment of limited resources, a task force committee was appointed in July of 2008 to assess graduation education and training within CASNR with Dr. Neal Schrick from Animal Science acting as chair. The responsibilities of the committee included conducting a comprehensive critique of the CASNR graduate program and developing recommendations for its improvement. The task force was composed of both graduate directors

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from departments and research scientists. The committee met with departmental graduate directors, faculty, staff, and graduate students to acquire information.

With respect to the desirability of a core set of graduate courses for the college, the task force found that all departments had requirements for statistics and seminar courses, but did not feel that a course in ethics, although available in the college, should be a college-wide requirement. Animal Science requires this course for all of its graduate students. Most departments recommended a writing course and AREC offered a grant writing course, but no course offered both scientific writing and grantsmanship in a focused single course. As a result of this finding, a graduate level course that combined both writing and grantsmanship was developed and offered for the first time in Spring of 2012 for graduate students. It was co-taught by Drs. Beyl and Trigiano. Based upon the demand and positive feedback received, it will continue to be offered.

Many of the expectations of graduate students appeared to be mentor-driven and varied somewhat among departments. This finding led to Lannett Edwards, Graduate Program Chair from Animal Sciences, sharing best practices used in her department to keep graduate students in compliance and on time for graduation at the regular CASNR department heads meeting. All departments had expectations of graduate students to publish thesis and dissertation research.

Two recommendations that emerged from the task force were that learning outcomes needed to be addressed by all the departments and that there was a need for career development for graduate students offered by CASNR personnel or faculty. These will be a focus of future activity.

Teaching Metr ics Committee In June, 2011, a Teaching Metrics Committee was appointed to identify what activities constituted ‘teaching effort’ and ensure that those activities are both fully documented in the faculty annual activity report and used in the faculty member’s evaluation. The committee developed the following list of teaching metrics:

• Innovative and engaged teaching • Mentoring graduate students • Advising undergraduates with emphasis on retention, completion, and placement • Serving/leading on committees such as graduate or undergraduate coordinator,

scholarship committee, recruiting committee • Club/Activity mentorship • Recruiting particularly underrepresented groups • Sponsoring and directing undergrad research • Helping provide international opportunities • Aiding in internship placement • Providing service learning opportunities • Writing proposals to help fund teaching/learning innovations • Writing peer-reviewed publications to share best practices in teaching

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As a result of their recommendations, in the electronic database used to capture faculty productivity for use in annual evaluations, there is now a checkbox to identify teaching related publications and soon there will be one for documenting proposals that have a significant

teaching aspect.

Teaching Workload Committee In July of 2011, a Teaching Workload Committee, using the input from the Teaching Metrics Committee, developed an algorithm to quantify ‘teaching’ activities for each faculty member to gain better perspective on what a teaching member’s actual calculated effort was relative to assigned teaching effort.

Using a standard load of 4 sections for a full time teaching load or 12 contact hours per week, this was equivalent to 3.33 hours per week per credit hour.

New preparations, web/distance courses, and studio courses were given a weight of 5.0 hours per week per credit hour. Labs were given a value of 1.67 and each guest lecture added 0.067. An enrollment adjustment of one hour per week was given for every 20 students over 25. Additional values were given for student advising at the undergraduate level, intensive involvement as a student club advisor/mentor, supervising undergraduate research, participating in orientation activity, or serving as the undergraduate coordinator for the department. At the graduate level, serving as the MS or PhD major advisor or a member of the graduate committee earned workload values as did serving as the graduate coordinator for the department. Service was quantified differently depending upon whether the committee was one requiring intensive effort (such as a search committee or the scholarship committee) and the role (whether as committee chair or member). Since the vast majority of our faculty are 12 month, the algorithm front loaded

all the teaching activity into one semester and then used the conversion factor 2.67 to stretch the load calculation to a 12 month appointment.

Department heads used the algorithm developed to compare actual calculated teaching loads of each of their faculty with the assigned teaching FTE. Results for all faculty

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in one randomly chosen CASNR department are shown on the left. In most cases, the actual teaching load of departmental faculty was greatly in excess of assigned teaching FTEs, indicating a greater need for additional teaching FTE allocation.

The workload algorithm gives administrators a quantitative basis for reallocation of FTEs to balance loads relative to teaching FTE percentage appointment. When resources become available, it also gives an objective way to evaluate what departments are in greatest need for additional teaching FTEs to reduce the teaching overload being experienced by some of the faculty.

Academic Program Reviews Occurring in the Last Five Years In August of 2008, responsibility for program review of academic units in the college was transferred to UTIA from UTK so that program reviews could more thoroughly examine research and extension missions of the units as well as the academic programs. The following sections indicate findings relative to the academic mission component.

Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications The full-cycle review was conducted November 8-12, 2010 with the following recommendations:

• Additional FTEs were needed and shared faculty lines to support teaching • Revisit the focus and curriculum offerings for each concentration • Delay offering on-line undergraduate degree • Create a cohort like experience for graduate students to enhance the scholarly

environment • Develop a graduate research techniques seminar

Agricultural Economics The full-cycle review was conducted October 27-29, 2008 with the following recommendations:

• Department needs to focus on recruiting particularly minority students into is undergraduate and graduate programs

• All future faculty hires should consist of split appointments • Consider addition of a course in bioenergy • Study abroad programs should receive high priority • Obtain job placement information and maintain better contact with alumni

Animal Science The mid-cycle review was conducted September 15-16, 2008 with the following recommendations:

• Maintain access to animals to enhance the learning experience of students • Increase the teaching FTEs to meet current and future enrollment needs • Continue to develop the equine teaching emphasis

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• Develop a mechanism to assess students fees to support the use of animals • Support additional GTAs to augment the teaching effort • Increase numbers of students engaging in meaningful international experiences

Entomology and Plant Pathology The full-cycle review was conducted November 28-30, 2011 with the following recommendations:

• Develop courses that provide interest to the student population across campus • Modify some courses to meet General Education requirements • Revisit and update curriculum with potential name changes, broad advertising, and

location changes to broaden their appeal • Consider split appointments for 100% Extension and 100% Research faculty so that they

are given the opportunity to teach • Enhance the communication from the department head to the rest of the faculty and

among all members of the department

Plant Science The mid-cycle review was conducted September 28-29, 2010 with the following recommendations:

• Strengthen interdisciplinary nature of the MLA program and make it clearly evident that it is a jointly administered program (web site, publications, oversight)

• Undergraduate advisors should make themselves more available during advising periods • Establish clear guidelines for expectations of internships, outcomes, and assessment of

knowledge gained to inculcate more rigor and consistency • Integrate the Advisory Council/Advocacy Board into planning and assessment • Increase teaching FTE support of the more popular undergraduate concentrations

MLA Accreditation Visit A 3-person accreditation team from LAAB visited UTK April 15-18, 2012, to determine if the MLA program warranted full initial accreditation. The team praised the quality of the student work and indicated that the quality was reflective of a much more mature and advanced program. They found that the MLA program met all 7 standards with no recommendations and as a team, were recommending that the LAAB confer accredited status.

Review of the Scholarship Program A review team chaired by Dr. Dan McLemore was appointed in February, 2010, to conduct a comprehensive review of the scholarship program of CASNR. The six-member team was to focus on assessing the approaches for determining recipients and level of support for scholarships as well as international travel. In its final report offered June 2010, the committee praised the CASNR scholarship committee for its dedication and success and also for its

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collaborative relationship with the UTK Office of Financial Aid. The process used to evaluate scholarship applications was found to be very time-intensive and the review team recommended investigating ways to use technology to automate part of the process, better integrating with campus databases to verify information, and use of staff to support the process whenever possible. They further recommended allocation of up to 10% to support international experiences for students, advocated for earlier deadlines for departmental awards (before college awards were made), recommended better communication with undergraduate and graduate students about scholarship programs, and adding one more member to the CASNR Scholarship Committee so that there was a representative from each department. They also recommended that development staff seek to obtain scholarship donations that are not restrictive or too specific in criteria to be easily awarded.

Review of the Advising Program In February, 2008, at the invitation of Dr. Ruth Darling, Assistant Vice-Provost and Director of the Student Success Center, The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) conducted a consultation visit and comprehensive review of the academic advising program at UTK. As a part of this review, each college prepared a self-study audit of its own program of advising. In CASNR, students are advised by faculty who work closely with their department’s undergraduate program coordinator in the college. No graduate assistants are used in the process. Faculty advisors work closely with the students from new student orientation through graduation with charting a plan that includes the appropriate courses in the proper sequence, internships, international opportunities, independent studies, and honors program participation, co-curricular activities (CASNR sponsors 18 student clubs, nine honor societies, professional fraternity/sorority or service organizations, and nine competition teams). Drs. Cooper and Stier work with faculty when difficult or unusual circumstances arise. The Office of the Dean considers advising as part of the faculty's teaching effort. It is recognized as such on the UT Institute of Agriculture Annual Faculty Reporting Form.

Department heads and/or the undergraduate program coordinators conduct senior exit interviews. Through these, the department heads and/or the coordinators can gather qualitative information regarding advising and assess its effectiveness. The results from the senior exit interviews are consistent across departments and over time that students truly value faculty advisors. Qualitative data are used as part of the annual faculty evaluation process.

As a result of the self-study, the following recommendations were made:

• A Director with the educational background to help train and educate faculty advisors about student behavior and learning styles should be hired. The Director could work with the professional staff and faculty advisors in the departments.

• Professional advisors should be placed in the larger departments to be able to focus on the needs in the specific majors.

• Five Graduate Assistants should be assigned to assist the smaller departments and programs (Agricultural Economics, Biosystems Engineering, Environmental and Soil Sciences, Food

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Science and Technology, and Agricultural Science) to be able to focus on the needs in the specific majors.

CASNR is currently searching for a new Director of Advising to join the professional staff and has narrowed down the candidate pool and invited the top four in for interviews at this time.

Collaboration with AgResearch In April of 2010, the CASNR Dean met with the AgResearch Dean and the East Tennessee Research and Education Center (ETREC) Director to collaborate on ways to strengthen the teaching and research interaction. As a result of that meeting, three houses on the East Tennessee Research and Education Center were renovated with the cost shared by both AgResearch and CASNR. Students are now able to apply for an internship on the research station working with either the animal or the crop production areas and receive lodging in one of the three renovated houses as compensation. Students must go through a competitive application process and successful candidates are chosen with input from both the college and the Research Center Director, Bobby Simpson. The model has worked well and students have taken advantage of the opportunity to gain valuable experience.

Interns Residing in the Housing at ETREC, Major, and Assignment

Semester Name Major Assignment Residence

Spring 2011/ Summer 2011

Heslie Powell Animal Science

ETREC Beef Management Intern

House 3 (2BR)

Amanda Carlisle Animal Science

ETREC – JARTU Feed Mill

*Did not involve housing

Fall 2001/

Spring 2012

John Schulz Ag Business

ETREC-Blount Unit and ETREC Little River Animal and Environmental Unit House 1 (2BR)

Wade GeFellers Wildlife and Fisheries

ETREC Blount Unit and ETREC Plant Science Unit

Caroline Ellis Animal Science

ETREC Blount Unit

House 2 (3BR) Amanda Chiarantona

Animal Science

ETREC Blount Unit and ETREC Little River Animal and Environmental Unit

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Melissa Edwards Animal Science

ETREC Blount Unit and ETREC Holston Unit

House 3 (2BR)

House 4 (2BR) is targeted for Department of Animal Science graduate students and is slated for occupancy in Fall, 2012.

Enhancement of Revenue and Budgetary Efficiency

Annual College Budget Although the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is administratively supervised most directly by the Chancellor of UTIA, for matters pertaining to academic policy, it is guided by the Provost and Chancellor of UTK. Also, the annual operating budget in its entirety comes from UTK Academic Affairs as it does for other academic deans across campus. A portion of the CASNR budget is allocated to support UTIA-wide support services such as IT, Communications and Marketing, Safety, and General Services, as well as helping support the office of the Chancellor of UTIA.

Implementation of fees A new fee structure was submitted to Provost Martin and in June, 2009, the Board of Trustees approved course fees for many of the courses in CASNR that were supply and material-intensive. This greatly helped to supplement the financial support of our curriculum and teaching efforts. In June, 2010, a second set of fees was approved for selected courses within the college. The additional resources to support experiential learning have greatly aided the ability to sustain the hands-on components necessary to ensure learning and practical competence in the agricultural sciences and natural resource disciplines.

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Impact of CASNR budget constraints As a result of tight fiscal budgets, only minor growth occurred in budget as a result of salary raises or bonus allocations and non-recurring monies. Administrative costs for CASNR have been reduced and the following impacts have been observed throughout the college:

• Early incentivized retirements of faculty • Faculty vacancies left open and not refilled • Faculty positions filled in AgResearch or Agricultural Extension with no teaching

percentage • Reductions in the number of staff to support academic operations • Reallocation of duties and workload among fewer staff members • Great reduction or elimination of operating budget • Reduction of GTA positions from ½ to ¼ time

Budgetary Efficiency Data on student credit hours, budget allocations, expenditures, and faculty full-time equivalents (FTEs) were obtained from campus (file: Academic_Unit_Statistics_20111212_CASNR). Tuition revenues were calculated by multiplying undergraduate credit hours using an in-state tuition rate of $358/credit hour. In CASNR, only the 25 GTAs (and 1 GTA allocated to the MLA shared program) are on centrally supported tuition waivers, with the other 225 or so graduate students (90%) generating tuition paid for by grants or other external sources. Thus, graduate student tuition revenue was calculated at the in-state rate of $520/credit hour. Tuition revenue calculations were conservative and actual revenues are likely greater, as out-of-state tuition for 2011-12 was $1078/credit hour for undergraduates and $1473/credit hour for graduate students. Information on the proportion of out-of-state undergraduate students taking CASNR courses was unknown; however, approximately 90% of our freshman students are now in-state (J. Cheek, pers. comm., 2011). Data tracking on the numbers of out-of-state students, both undergraduate and graduate, are needed.

Tuition revenue generated by each department exceeded the base campus investment for salaries and operating expenses. The figure below shows the tuition generated by CASNR (Grad=Graduate, UG=Undergraduate, ALEC=Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, Animal Sci=Animal Science, AREC=Agricultural &

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Resource Economics, BESS=Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, EPP=Entomology and Plant Pathology, FST=Food Science & Technology, FWF=Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, Plant Sci=Plant Sciences). Data do not include the graduate-level Landscape Architecture program, which began under joint operations with the College of Architecture and Design in 2008.

Expenditures for college administration have declined from $902,256 in 2006-07 to $757,905. The figure below indicates budget allocations over the five-year period for administration of the college. Some of these expenditures were offset by administrative teaching of college courses, primarily AGNR 100 and AGNR 290. Tuition revenue, based conservatively on only in-state rates, offset college administrative expenditures by $234,294, for an estimated net cost of only $523,611.

Student Credit Hour Production Increase in undergraduate student credit hour production in College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources from autumn 2005 through summer 2010 (Source: OIP) are detailed in the figure above and for departments, the table below. Student credit hour (SCH) production in the College has increased over 37% since autumn 2005. This compares with the rest of UTK, which has experienced a combined 5% increase across all other colleges during the same time period. All of the College’s departments increased their total SCH production, with the greatest growth occurring in Agricultural Leadership, Extension and Communications. Overall graduate SCH generation increased by (36%) compared to undergraduate SCHs (38%). Graduate SCH generation came at a cost: The three departments with the largest focus on, and number of, undergraduate students had slight declines in graduate SCH generation.

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Changes in undergraduate and graduate student credit hour (SCH) generation by departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources between autumn 2006 and spring 2011. Undergraduate Graduate

SCH generation % SCH generation %

Department 2006-07 2010-11 Change 2006-07

2010-11 Change

Agric. Leadership, Extension & Communications

298

1123

276

145

321

121

Agricultural & Resource Economics

1108 1684 52 251 396 58

Animal Science 2459 3101 26 371 337 (9)

Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science

2138 2855 33 337 622 85


141 270 91 267 389 46

Food Science & Technology 571 1313 130 278 275 -1

Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

2841 3351 18 552 547 -1

Plant Sciences 1865 2019 8 433 700 62

TOTAL 11,421 15,716 38 2,634 3,587 36

Student credit hour (SCH) production per faculty full-time equivalent (FTE) of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources for academic year 2010-2011 is shown below.

FTEs include Full-time Tenure/Tenure track, full-time non-tenure track, and part-time (adjunct). ALEC=Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, Animal Sci=Animal Science, AREC=Agricultural &

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Resource Economics, ASNR=Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (college-level); BESS=Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, EPP=Entomology and Plant Pathology, FST=Food Science & Technology, FWF=Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, Plant Sci=Plant Sciences. Data for Plant Sciences do not include the graduate-level Landscape Architecture program which began under joint operations with the College of Architecture in 2008 and contains a large number of courses. Undergraduate courses account for the majority of SCHs for all departments except Entomology and Plant Pathology, which has a graduate-level focus. On average, each 1 instructional faculty FTE yields 411 undergraduate SCH (s.d. 121) and 99 graduate SCH (s.d. 52). This includes a number of hands-on type courses with minimal Graduate Teaching Assistant support.

Faculty Teaching Effort The majority of the college’s teaching effort is directed towards undergraduate education, though all departments also generate graduate student credit hours. Usually the majority of these are intradepartmental, though many courses will also attract students from outside the department or college. CASNR has approximately 39 instructional FTEs paid for by University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The majority of CASNR’s 105 full-time faculty have joint appointments with AgResearch, with the vast majority having only a minority teaching appointment (See Table-Appendix II). The remainder of the faculty members’ appointments are controlled by either or both the research or extension deans of UTIA. There are another approximately 70 full-time faculty in UTIA (excluding College of Veterinary Medicine) with either research-extension or full-time extension appointments. Some of these faculty occasionally provide instructional effort on an ad hoc basis to fill gaps such as those caused by retirement or special teaching needs (e.g., summer courses). Typically their efforts must be “bought-out” by CASNR, much as the teaching responsibilities of regular faculty positions elsewhere on campus are “bought-out” by research funds. Analysis of the tenure-track faculty appointments (98 total) indicate that 56% are full professors, 34% are associate professors, and 10% are assistant professors.

In general, campus investments in CASNR FTE’s appear to be a good bargain. The ability to leverage campus investments with AgResearch and Agricultural Extension provides for a much wider diversity of faculty and instructional expertise, which allows the college to “punch well above its weight”. Given the national trend for declining state support of public universities, the need to leverage tuition-based funding of faculty and other expenses with outside sources may become the norm for most colleges and universities.

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Analysis of CASNR instructional appointments as of February 29, 2012.

Appointment

Professor

Associate Professor

Assistant Professor

Lecturer

Instructor

9-month 2 3 2 3 1

12-month 55 29 7 3

Undergraduate Advising Many of the CASNR faculty are involved in instructional efforts well beyond their appointment. In addition to teaching, CASNR faculty serve as undergraduate advisors, as each undergraduate in the college is assigned to a faculty member. The faculty members provide advising in academic areas (e.g., course enrollment guidance) and career services. The joint appointments held by faculty ensure their engagement with industry, governmental, and non-governmental organizations which facilitates development of internship and employment opportunities. For example, over 70% of spring 2012 graduates in AREC and Plant Sciences reported they either had accepted job (>50%) or graduate school offers (20%) (Augé and Gerloff, pers. communication, May 2012).

General Education Courses General Education courses are used by the campus to ensure all students have a well-rounded education encompassing arts and humanities, communications, cultures and civilizations, natural sciences, and social sciences. Teaching General Education courses allows CASNR faculty to engage the greater campus student body. The College teaches 16 courses designated as General Education, including a relatively high proportion of courses counting towards written and oral communications. Course offerings are increasingly attracting students from outside the college, particularly when they are taught on main campus, such as ESS 120 (Soils and Civilization) and 220 (Waters and Civilization). Obstacles to developing more courses include logistics (transportation between CASNR and main campus), lack of understanding on the processes for getting courses accepted for general education credits, and commitment to non-instructional responsibilities due to joint appointments in AgResearch or Agricultural Extension. The following table lists general education courses offered by the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, 2010-11.

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Area Course designation and title Inaugural Year†

Credit hours

Written Communication

ALEC 440 Communication Techniques in Agriculture 2006 3

ANSC 280 Animal Biotechnology and Management Fall 2005 3

FORS 321 Wildland Recreation ND‡ 3

FORS 327 Honors: Wildland Recreation ND 3

FWF 312: Principles of Silviculture ND 3

PLSC 410: Nursery Management & Production 2009 3

PLSC 491: International Study: History and Culture of International Gardens and Landscapes

2011 3

Comments: 7/97 = 7.2% of campus course offerings from CASNR. Area dominated by English

Oral Communication

ALEC 240: Presentation & Sales Strategies for Agricultural Audiences

2010 3

ANSC 360: Equine and Food Animal Evaluation Fall 2006 3

BSE 401: Biosystems Engineering Design I Fall 2005 2

ESS 301: Professional Development Fall 2006 1

Comments: 4/24=16.7% of campus course offerings from CASNR

Quantitative Reasoning

Comments: 0/19 campus courses offered by CASNR. Math dominates. Possible area for expansion (BESS?)

Natural Sciences

FWF 250 Conservation ND 3

Comments: 1/57=1.8% campus course offerings by CASNR. Dominated by Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics. Most CASNR departments could provide courses, most likely for non-majors as CASNR majors usually require biology and chemistry.

Arts & Humanities

Comments: 0/59=0% campus courses offered by CASNR. Some possibilities exist, e.g., Plant Sciences could offer an art course similar to Cornell’s “The Art of Horticulture” (http://courses.cornell.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=12&poid=3362) or a literature-based class exploring the connection between plants and humans such as Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass”& Thoreau’s “Walden”. Partnering with a unit such as English for a joint course might be appropriate.

Social Sciences

Spring 4

http://courses.cornell.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=12&poid=3362

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AREC 201 Economics of the Global Food & Fiber System 2010

Comments: 1/27=3.7% of campus course offerings by CASNR. Appears to have tremendous potential.AREC 201 has filled to capacity (60) both years and enrollment cap increase is being considered. Partnering with Political Science and Economics could be one avenue to offer a cluster of courses integrating agriculture and natural resource systems with politics and economics.

Cultures & Civilizations

ESS 120 Soils and Civilizations Fall 2005 3

ESS 220 Waters and Civilizations Fall 2006 3

FDST 150 History and Culture of Food Fall 2012 3

Comments: 3/77=3.9% of campus course offerings by CASNR. 60% of courses are in foreign languages. Potential room for growth, e.g., PLSC 233 History and Impact of Turfgrasses

† Year course started as a General Education course. ‡ND = not determined.

First Year Studies and Seminar Courses First year studies courses are a relatively new addition to the university curriculum and are used to aid student success and retention. Specifically, first year studies courses aim to integrate students into the academic community, covering such items as benefits of a college education, academic planning, and methods for student success. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources teaches four first year studies courses, one at the College level and three within departments. Dr. Theressa Cooper teaches the College course, AGNR 100, Introduction to Agriculture and Natural Resources. Students may also use the following department courses for their First Year Studies requirement: ALEC 101, AREC 110, and PLS 115.

Freshman seminar courses, often referred to as FYS 129 seminars, provide students with a course taught in a small group setting to facilitate their transition to college. Instruction is done on a voluntary basis in response to a call for proposals each semester. Faculty in the College are actively engaged in teaching first year seminar courses, accounting for 11.5% of all First Year study instruction on the campus. In fall 2012, CASNR faculty will teach 9 of the 67 first year studies courses (13%). These include titles such as Chocolate – The Health Benefits, CSI Knoxville in 1863, A Bug’s Life, and Mushroom Mania.

First year seminar courses taught at University of Tennessee-Knoxville and by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR).

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Semester Year Total Sections CASNR Sections % by CASNR

Fall 2008 69 10 14.5

Spring 2009 35 3 8.6

Fall 2009 73 7 9.6

Spring 2010 27 4 14.8

Fall 2010 61 7 11.5

Spring 2011 34 4 11.8

Fall 2011 62 7 11.3

Spring 2012 29 3 10.3

Fall 2012 67 9 13.4

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

Allocation of GTAs to CASNR has been relatively flat at 25 GTA waivers annually. One additional GTA position was added in 2008-9 as CASNR’s contribution to the jointly administered MLA program. GTAs have been allocated to departments on the basis of need and since there have been no new GTA fee waivers funded centrally and assigned to CASNR, these placements have remained relatively constant. GTAs primarily assist with undergraduate courses having intensive laboratory and/or experiential learning components. Without such appointments, many of the hands-on courses or portions of those courses could not be offered, thus greatly diminishing the quality of the curriculum.

Technology and Facilities Resources of the College

College administrative and student services off ice facil it ies The college dean, assistant dean, and administrative assistants are housed in 126 Morgan Hall in close proximity to the UTIA Chancellor’s office. On the same floor as the deans of AgResearch and Agricultural Extension is the office of our Career and Student Services Director in Room 118. Our student services staff for recruitment, retention, as well as our CASNR Business Managers are located on the second floor in Room 201.

Needed renovation of student services suite and dean’s office The offices that housed CASNR administration and support staff had become decrepit over time and unable to serve modern needs. The necessity for renovation became more compelling with

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the changing demands for space coupled with the micro-environment degradation that was occurring. The interim Associate Dean, Dr. Mary Albrecht, was aware of this critical need and had begun in 2006 setting aside small portions of the budget resulting from salary savings annually with the goal of eventually enabling the much needed renovation. With the hiring of a Coordinator for Recruitment in 2008, the requirement for additional office space in MH 201 (student services area) necessitated putting panel dividers in the space that was essentially the student waiting area. Not only was this not private with no access to windows nor to A/C or heat, the layout of the entire office area was not efficient and not ADA-compliant. Renovations began January 10, 2010, and ended in September of the same year. Remodeling resulted in three offices, each with a window and AC/heat access and a common area for students waiting for counseling, AgAmbassadors preparing for recruiting, and for student groups to hold small informal meetings. Total cost of the renovation was $91,549.37.

The offices of the dean, assistant dean, and support staff (MH 126) underwent remodeling beginning in January of 2011. The office area prior to remodeling had serious mold issues due to leaking antiquated heating units, aged and much trafficked carpeting, poor use of space due to an awkward layout, poor overhead lighting, and the entry way and furnishings generated a poor first impression for visitors to the university, students, and parents. There was also a need for better use of the space to gain privacy for those handling student records due to strict FERPA guidelines. The final cost for the project was $159,483.30. Considerable savings overall were realized by salvaging and refinishing the original hardwood floor, resurfacing and reusing the old kitchen cabinets, and negotiating with a regional furniture company to obtain a very competitive price on furniture that was much more economical than state contract prices. Entry furnishings were obtained from surplus outlets, discount stores, and also represented two-for-one specials. The overall effect is warmer and more welcoming to students, their families, and visitors alike.

Classroom upgrades, technology support of instruct ion Funding to support and refresh technology used by faculty and staff, or installed in classrooms and computer labs, comes from four major sources: UTK Technology fee, discretionary IT fund provided by the UTK Chancellor’s Office, Staff and Faculty Computer Upgrade Program (SCUP/FCUP), and the Classroom Upgrade Program.

Use of Technology Fee Funds Since 1996, the University of Tennessee has been collecting a technology fee from students each semester, with a total annual budget of approximately $5 million per year. Most of these funds go to support central IT (OIT), network infrastructure, instructional technology (ITC), and Blackboard. However, each year, colleges are encouraged to submit proposals to purchase technology for teaching purposes, and these have been generally used for departmentally-controlled classrooms and computer labs. Joanne Logan has served on the UT Technology Fee committee since 2008 so her experience and expertise in this area made her a natural choice to be asked to serve as the Director of CASNR Technology.

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Since 2007, the CASNR computer lab has been refreshed twice with 29 new computers and 4 printers (in 2008 and 2010), which has been the bulk of the technology fee allocation at a cost of $85,000. Other resources paid for by the technology fee include:

• Agricultural Economics – 10 desktops for graduate students, 30 laptop computers and cart for mobile computer lab

• Agricultural Leadership, Extension, and Communication – 2 Ipads • Animal Science – desktops for undergraduate computer lab, overhead projectors for 2

departmental classrooms • Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science - specialized software, 10 desktop computers

for senior design lab, overhead projectors for 3 departmental classrooms, annotation projector used to increase interactivity in Rm 268

• Entomology and Plant Pathology – specialized software • Food Science and Technology – digital photospectrometer, specialized software • Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries – specialized software, complete technology upgrade in

PS Rm 115 • Plant Sciences - digital cameras used in landscape design classes, desktops for

departmental computer lab and poster processing, annotation projectors in South GH 122 and 124

Discret ionary IT Funds from UTK Chancellor’s Office ($13,000 in 2011) Item Number Location Cost Department

Lenovos 4 PS123 $2,752 BESS*

LCD Projector 1 PS101 $2,243 FWF

Laptops 3 MH 126 $4,000 CASNR

Ipad + case 2 MH 126 $538 CASNR

Short throw projector

1 PS113 $1,773 FWF

*assigned to the teaching and learning room in PS 123 which is shared by 4 different departments (BESS, EPP, FWF, PS)

Staff and Faculty Computer Upgrade Program

CASNR has been very persistent and successful in procuring eligible computers, printers, and other technology through the Staff (SCUP) and Faculty Computer Upgrade (FCUP) Programs. These programs were initiated by the state in 2000 to ensure that technology needed to complete the teaching

Item NumberPrinters 10Desktop 103Laptop 138Hard Drive 1Scanners 2Fax 2Monitors 3Projectors 2Server file storage 1

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mission would be refreshed every three or four years. Mary Albrecht was responsible for the overall SCUP/FCUP requests in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Dr. Joanne Logan was responsible in 2011. The table shows the total items that were purchased in the 2007-2011 (5 years) cycles. The total value of this equipment is about $319,000.

Classroom Upgrade Classroom upgrade funds come from the facilities fee paid by all UT students. They are used to purchase furniture, podia, and technology for registrar-controlled classrooms only. Joanne Logan has served on the classroom upgrade program (CUP) since 2007.

Currently, there are 12 registrar-controlled classrooms in CASNR that qualify for upgrades. (Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science – 2, Food Science -1, Morgan Hall – 3, Plant Biotechnology – 2, Plant Sciences – 4). These classrooms have capacities ranging from 22 to 88.

During the past 5 years, technology and/or furniture have been refreshed using CUP funding in BESS Rm 266 and 268, Morgan Hall 212A, 212B, 126, Plant Sciences 124, 125, and 128. In addition, PS Rm 123 was converted into a Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) classroom at a total investment of $117,000.

The next cycle of the CUP will be 100% dedicated to the upgrade and refurbishing of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), where 25% of all UT classes are held. Therefore, funds for individual departments will not be available again until 2013.

Current Status and Recommendations Currently, our registrar-controlled classrooms have better than average technology and furniture. Immediate needs include a technology upgrade in Food Science 126, PS 125, PBB 113, and PBB 160. Brehm Animal Sciences will add 1 registrar controlled and 8 departmentally controlled rooms, but these classrooms should not require upgrades until 2016.

Animal Sciences needs to reestablish its undergraduate computer lab in 2012. The CASNR computer lab computers need to be refreshed again in 2013. However, all lab configurations should take into account the upcoming move to cloud computing on campus. This would mean decreased costs per workstation since the cloud server will run the applications. In addition, the trend toward mobile and tablet technologies needs to be considered when planning for IT expenditures at both the college and departmental levels.

Currently in CASNR, there is very limited use of document cameras, smart podiums, annotation projectors, mobile applications, tablets, clickers, video conferencing, or enhanced media. There are few classes offered online using Collaborate (formerly Centra) technology. Although most instructors have Blackboard class sites, they also admit they use only a small portion of the functionality of this course management system, and do little with enhanced features such as discussion boards, blogs, or wikis. CASNR faculty has always been at the leading edge of

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instructional technology, but is in danger of falling behind. Additional training in cutting edge technologies as well as a reward system that encourages faculty to incorporate new technology into their teaching is needed.

Development efforts to support teaching The development activity of the dean has been conducted primarily with the cooperation and assistance of her assigned contact in the Development Office, Mr. Mark Clark. These activities have included holding alumni breakfasts, interacting with Golden Grads at their annual luncheons, attending Leadership and Legacies Luncheon programs at the UT Gardens, visiting potential donors (Cortese Tree Specialists, Murphy-Brown, Penrose farm, Niswonger Foundation, Milams, Dairy Farmers of America, etc.), visiting with donors to thank them for their contributions to MANRRS and scholarship funds, and participating in dedications of facilities resulting from donations.

CASNR has traditionally been able to host donors and potential donors each year for a football game in the skybox. Our designated game has been the one with Western Kentucky and we have been given 5-8 tickets each year for that use.

In 2012, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America worked with the CASNR to develop a special scholars program to prepare students for careers in the field of agriculture and environmental sciences. Beginning in fall of 2012, five students will be selected each year from among talented freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to receive $2,000 scholarships. Each will complete specialized coursework to ensure a strong knowledge of all aspects of agriculture. Students will have an internship experience with Farm Credit Services that focuses on real problem based research. Each will also have an external project or experience to broaden their appreciation for agriculture on a national or international scale. Recipients of the scholarship will also be granted an interview upon completion of their degree for possible employment. Farm Credit Services believes that this is a way to not only address their need for talented employees to replace a workforce that nears retirement, but also a way to give back, foster the careers of students no matter who they choose to work with, and support higher education in the agricultural sciences.

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Enhancing the Visibility of the College The visibility of the college was enhanced in several ways. In addition to playing a role chairing and/or contributing to various system and university-wide committees including strategic planning, recruitment, retention, search, and diversity committees, the college has taken an active role to host workshops focused on enhancement of teaching and appreciation of diversity.

CASNR Hosted University-wide Annual Teaching Workshops Since 1997, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has hosted an annual teaching workshop with additional support provided from the Provost of UTK and the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center (TTLC). The workshops have featured topics such as teaching

the neXt generation, learning styles, increasing engagement in the classroom, classroom assessment techniques to assess learning, and the use of simulations, gaming, and service learning. Flyers advertising the annual fall teaching workshops have been widely distributed all over campus. Attendees typically range in number from 50-110 and represent disciplines, departments, and programs across UTK. Feedback gained from participants of the annual workshops has been highly positive and many have made attendance at these events a high priority.

Workshops to support Diversity and Women in Science On October 20, 2010, CASNR and Dr. Susan Martin co-hosted a day long workshop featuring Peggy Pritchard, the editor and co-author of the book “Success Strategies for Women in Science:

A Portable Mentor”. Women faculty, professional and support staff, and graduate students were invited to the workshop. Approximately 60-70 women attended. A faculty member of the University of Guelph in Canada, Dr. Pritchard shared techniques to optimize your professional competencies such as ‘effective communication, time and stress management, mental toughness, and work-life balance’.

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On March 9, 2011, Dr. Yolanda T. Moses conducted a workshop co-hosted by all eight CASNR departments, AgResearch, CASNR, Agricultural Extension, Veterinary Medical College, and the UT Libraries on “Valuing Diversity and Inclusion in the Academy: Achieving New Levels of Excellence” to participants from not only CASNR, but also from the main campus as well. Based upon the success of this workshop, CASNR department heads decided to continue identifying national speakers that could address issues of diversity and host future workshops of this kind.

Other Events Hosted by CASNR

CASNR Fall Kick-Off to the Semester In the middle of August just prior to the start of the fall semester each year, CASNR hosts a one-day event dubbed the “CASNR Fall Kick-Off to the Semester”. This event is traditionally organized by the Assistant Dean and used to update all CASNR faculty to any changes in policies or procedures surrounding teaching and advising. The kick-off is also used as a opportunity to highlight a special topic or initiative that the college wishes to encourage. Topics throughout the last five years have included: What Blackboard Can Do for You, Dealing with Distressed Students, Items that Should Be on a Course Syllabus, and Internationalizing the Student Curriculum.

Big Orange and Green Recruiting Seminar The seminar held October 15, 2009 for undergraduate advisors and the college recruitment committee featured recruiting techniques used by coaches, admissions, and diversity coordinators. Invited speakers included Bruce Pearl, basketball coach, speaking on how he focused on the influencers, Chad Fulton (Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions) speaking on recruiting for diversity, and Tom Broadhead (Director of Undergraduate Admissions), who addressed recruiting the high achievers. New CASNR strategies, videos, and innovative departmental approaches were shared. The workshop concluded with a brainstorming session to determine future directions.

NICE Conference in 2009 and 2010 The 2009 National Institute on Cooperative Education (NICE) conference was held on the agriculture campus, July 25-29. There were 90 students and 45 mentors from 11 different states that attended. Students participated in team-building exercises, case studies, simulations, and product marketing activities. At the Tuesday night banquet, departments participated in a ‘trade show’ to showcase our programs. In July of 2010, CASNR again hosted the NICE conference and attendance was higher with 163 participants. This was an excellent opportunity to increase the visibility of CASNR and its programs to young students across the southeast.

Recognition of Excel lence on Campus, Nationally , and Internationally The college actively encourages engagement and recognition of high quality performance for its students, staff and faculty. The college annually solicits nominations for ten outstanding student awards, one undergraduate research award, one graduate student teaching award, an advising

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award, an outstanding staff award, an alumnus award, and six other teaching awards. Recipients receive their awards at an awards reception each spring. Our students also do well in campus competitions. In 2012, for example, Biosystems Engineering students placed in the top 3 of 14 EURēCA competitors in their category, and one was named best overall EURēCA project. Sam Rogers, Associate Professor in Plant Science, was recognized by the University in 2011 with the Faculty Environmental Leadership Award. The 2012 Chancellor’s Honors Banquet saw several CASNR faculty and students honored. Dr. Matthew Gray (Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries) received the Professional Promise Award for Research and Creative Achievement, Dr. William Hart (Associate Professor in Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science) received the Outstanding Teacher Award from the National Alumni Association, and Dr. John Mount (Associate Professor in Food Science and Technology) received an Excellence in Teaching and Advising Award. Students Kevin Hensley (Agricultural and Resource Economics) and Avery Howard (Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications) were 2 of the 10 campus students who received the Extraordinary Campus Leadership and Service awards, while Erick Foster and Timothy Grant were recognized for outstanding Academic Achievement. One group of students (Patrick Beasley, Brianna Cooper, Chad Teague, and Joe Yantis) from Biosystems Engineering received both the Environmental Sustainability Award and the Office of Research Undergraduate Research Award.

Students, staff, and faculty also receive numerous extramural awards and recognitions. Some of these are for student organization or club activities. For example, the Soils Judging Team finished in 2nd place in the 2011-12 Regional Competition, and individuals took home 1st and 5th place awards. The team later finished 5th in national competition. The Food Science College Bowl Team placed 2nd in regional competition in 2011, losing only to the eventual national champion, a team fielded by the Ohio State University. Graduate students, Kelly Barnett (Plant Sciences) received 1st place, and Javier Vargas 2nd place, in the oral paper division at the 2011 Southern Weed Sciences Society Meeting. In 2011, college faculty received a total of 10 state or national awards from groups such as the United States Department of Agriculture, the University of Idaho (outstanding alumnus award), the State of Tennessee (Governor’s Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship), and the National Marketing Association for Outstanding Advising. Our faculty also receive international awards, for example, Associate Professor Seong-Hoon Cho (Agricultural and Resource Economics) received the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship in 2011.

The numerous recognitions and awards greatly increase the visibility of CASNR across the state, the nation, and the larger international community. They also provide evidence of the quality and excellence of its students, staff, and faculty.

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Prior Strategic Plan and Draft CASNR 2020 Strategic

Plan CASNR’s previous strategic plan was implemented in March, 2004, and was adopted to guide the college until August of 2009. At the end of that period, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville was undergoing change at the senior administration level and there ensued several changes in strategic planning and priorities for the university. In July, 2011, Vol Vision: Journey to the Top 25 was formally adopted as the strategic plan and direction for UTK. Shortly after the adoption of the university strategic plan, CASNR initiated its process to develop CASNR 2020, the strategic plan for the college.

Process used An outside consulting firm, Mitchen Co., was hired to facilitate development of a CASNR strategic plan beginning early autumn semester 2011. Representatives from each department and the College administration were appointed to serve as the strategic planning committee. Committee membership included faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Several meetings were held during fall semester. Each meeting accomplished a pre-determined set of goals: engage the group to think strategically, identify values, develop a vision statement, list stakeholder groups for surveying, and develop lists of questions for surveying stakeholder populations. Stakeholder groups included students, parents, alumni, industry, faculty and staff, and administrators. Macro and micro-goals were developed by January 2012, then shared with departments for feedback, often accompanied by face-to-face meetings.

1

•Meeting of the Strategic Planning Team to review the mission, create values piece, and plan for data collection •August 23, 2011

2

•Two day all college meeting to collect widespread input on what CASNR is doing well/not so well and visioning for the future •September 21-22, 2011

3

•Sharing collected data, drafting the vision, and overarching goals for the college are developed by the Strategic Planning Team •October 25-26

4 •Draft strategic plan goals and microgoals were shared by Dr. John Stier during individual department

meetings to solicit additional input

5 •Revisions to the goals, microgoals and strategies will be incorporated and the final draft posted one last

time for comment.

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Current status The original intent was to complete the plan by the end of spring semester 2012. The timeline has been extended in order to take advantage of information developed through the College review and strategic plan information from the University and AgExtension. During summer 2012, three subcommittees of the strategic plan committee will finish developing strategies, tactics, requisite resources, and success metrics. Focal areas attached to the main goals will include experiential learning (e.g., hands-on courses, internships), internationalization of the curriculum, and undergraduate research. A key component will include incentives for encouraging faculty efforts to enhance teaching and student learning outcomes, such as better recognition of teaching effort through awards and annual merit evaluation.

Outcome Draft 1.2 of CASNR 2020 has been developed and is detailed in Appendix III. Strategies and metrics are being added. It is envisioned that at least one more round of revision and feedback will occur before finalization and adoption of the plan.

Self-Identified Opportunities for Improvement

Assessment Assessment of student learning outcomes and instructional methods is a forthcoming goal of our college and university. A faculty member with the appropriate background and passion will be asked to lead the college’s efforts and provided with a suitable salary enhancement for as long as they are actively engaged in the project. Most or all of our courses and departments have various student learning outcomes identified in course syllabi. The first stage of the assessment piece will entail collating learning outcomes and asking departments and the college curriculum committee to review these in order to develop complementary learning outcomes that build on each other. The result will be several overarching outcomes from the college perspective, more discrete outcomes at the department level, and specific outcomes at the course level. The second stage will develop the evaluation process to determine how well students are meeting the learning outcomes, identify any deficiencies, and proceed with correcting said deficiencies. Third, teaching effectiveness will be evaluated with assistance provided where necessary through professional development. It is anticipated that assessment and revisions to learning outcomes and teaching methods will become ingrained in the college culture, and able to respond quickly to incorporate meeting new student needs to take advantage of new instructional methods.

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Adjustment of assigned teaching loads for more equitable distribution The workload algorithm developed by the Teaching Workload Committee has proven to be very useful for examining the actual calculated workload versus the assigned teaching workload of any faculty member in the departments. Department Heads have used the tool to examine suspected disparities between the assigned teaching and the assigned FTE. As a result and at the request of the CASNR dean, each department head has submitted a proposal for adjusting FTE distribution within the department and in addition, plans for use of FTEs made available by upcoming retirements if any. Adjustment of teaching FTE for a faculty member with a split appointment requires a corresponding adjustment of the complementary appointment percentage, whether it is attributable to the research or Extension missions. What should be a straightforward process for department heads to adjust loads in response to changing needs is complicated by the need to gain approvals of typically two deans in the case of joint appointments, even if the requested change is budget-neutral. Policies are being considered to grant department heads some latitude to make small changes in FTE distribution annually in response to exigencies occurring at the department level.

Enhanced publicity for the college and achievements of its students, faculty, and staff The college and its people will benefit from enhanced publicity that highlights achievements of its students, faculty and staff. First, the college is currently investing in a small-scale assessment of visibility of its turfgrass management program with an outside marketing firm. Knowledge gained from the venture will facilitate the development of an assessment of the current state of recognition for the college, e.g., how well is the college known on and off-campus, what is the perception of the college, what do people think the college needs to do, etc. The information will be used in implementing the college’s strategic plan. Second, numerous opportunities to engage the public sector, primarily through industry and organizational functions, exist at which the college needs to improve its visibility. College administration is collecting information on the types and locations of events in and out of the state that involve our stakeholders, in order to identify appropriate venues to attend. Fortunately, faculty and department heads already attend many of these events, and having college administration present should bolster the perception of the college. Third, opportunities exist to engage in national teaching and advising organizations. The college already maintains a presence with national organizations such as the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. A few faculty are active in the North American College Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA). Encouraging more participation in NACTA and in the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) through conference presentations, service, and journal publication will enhance the instructional status of the college and lead to improved instruction and advising. Fourth, the college needs to improve its own culture of recognizing its faculty, staff, and students for exceptional performance. Some departments already do an

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excellent job of successfully nominating their members and students for awards; all departments need to do so. The college provides a series of awards at its annual awards banquet each spring: five teaching awards, an advising award, faculty development awards, an outstanding staff award, a graduate student teaching award, an award for undergraduate student research, and 10 other outstanding student awards. One goal is to have every department nominate for each award every year. Awards at the college level can be helpful for regional and national nominations. For example, we do not have a culture of nominating our instructors for the prestigious APLU-United States Department of Agriculture teaching awards. Small steps are already being taken to improve the culture of recognition at the college, and such a goal was identified by the college community as part of its strategic plan.

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Appendices

I. Description of undergraduate majors, concentrations, and minors offered by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Fall 2012.

Department/Unit Major Concentration Degree Minor Available

College-Interdepartmental

International Agriculture and Natural Resources Watershed


Natural Resource and Environmental Economics

BS in Agricultural and Resource Economics

Natural Resource and Environmental Economics

Food and Agricultural Business

General Option

Food and Agricultural Business

Agricultural Equipment Systems Management

Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications


Agricultural Communications

BS in Agriculture

Agricultural Leadership

Agricultural Education Agricultural Extension Education Agricultural Leadership Agricultural Science

Animal Science

Animal Science

Animal Industries BS in Animal Science

Animal Science

Bioscience Pre-Veterinary Medicine Pre-Veterinary Medicine 3+1

Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Biosystems Engineering

General option BS in Biosystems Engineering

Biosystems Engineering Technology

Pre-professional*

Agricultural Systems Technology

BS in Environmental and Soil Sciences

Environmental and Soil Sciences

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Environmental and Soil Sciences

Conservation Agriculture & Environmental Sustainability

Business Administration

Construction Science Environmental Science Land Surveying Off-Road Vehicle Technology Soil Science


Entomology & Plant Pathology

Food Science and Technology


Pre-Pharmacy BS in Food Science

Food Science Pre-Pharmacy 3+1

Food Technology

Pre-Professional* Pre-Professional 3+1 Science Technology/Business


Forestry

Forest Resources Management

BS in Forestry

Forestry Minor

Urban Forestry Wildland Recreation

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Wildlife & Fisheries Management

BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Wildlife & Fisheries

Wildlife Health Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences

Bioenergy BS in Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences

Biotechnology Horticulture Science & Production Landscape Design Organic Production Public Horticulture Turfgrass Science & Management

*Pre-professional programs provide preparation for subsequent study in dental, medicine, law, pharmacy.

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Description of graduate majors and minors offered by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Fall 2012.

Department Major Degree Concentration/Graduate Certificate



MS Agricultural Communications Agricultural Education Agricultural Leadership



MS Agribusiness Agricultural Economics Natural Resource Economics

MS-MBA Agri-Business Animal Science Animal Science MS

PhD Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science

Biosystems Engineering MS PhD

Biosystems Engineering Technology

MS

Environmental and Soil Science

MS



MS Entomology Plant Pathology


Food Science and Technology MS PhD Food Chemistry

Food Microbiology Food Processing


Forestry MS Natural Resources PhD Natural Resource

Economics Wildlife and Fisheries Science MS

Intercollegiate (CASNR and College of Architecture and Design)

MLA Professional Track MS Master of Landscape

Architecture Interdepartmental Plants, Soils and Insects PhD Bioactive Natural Products

Crop Sciences Entomology Environmental and Soil Sciences Horticulture Integrated Pest Management Plant Breeding Plant Molecular Genetics

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Plant Pathology Weed Science

Plant Sciences Plant Sciences MS Crop Sciences Horticulture Plant Breeding Plant Molecular Genetics Weed Science

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I I . Types of appointments held by teaching faculty in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) faculty have partial appointments paid for by the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, with the balance of their appointments in AgResearch and/or Agricultural Extension, paid by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), February 2012. Department and teaching faculty position

Appointment

% CASNR

% UTIA

Term

Status

Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications A1 100 0 12-month Assistant Professor A2 100 0 12-month Associate Professor A3 100 0 9-month Temporary lecturer

Agricultural and Resource Economics AR1 20 80 12-month Assistant Professor AR2 12 88 12-month Associate Professor AR3 25 75 12-month Associate Professor AR4 10 90 12-month Associate Professor AR5 18 82 12-month Professor AR6 33 67 12-month Professor AR7 22 78 12-month Professor AR8 10 90 12-month Professor AR9 20 80 12-month Professor AR10 82 18 12-month Professor AR11 45 55 12-month Professor AR12 100 0 12-month Professor AR13 18 82 12-month Professor AR14 10 90 12-month Professor

Animal Science AS1 100 0 9-month Lecturer AS2 100 0 12-month Lecturer AS3 100 0 12-month Lecturer AS4 32 68 12-month Associate Professor AS5 15 85 12-month Associate Professor AS6 42 58 12-month Associate Professor AS7 10 90 12-month Associate Professor AS8 25 75 12-month Associate Professor AS9 10 90 12-month Associate Professor AS10 100 0 12-month Professor

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AS11 53 47 12-month Professor AS12 14 86 12-month Professor AS13 41 59 12-month Professor AS14 19 81 12-month Professor AS15 33 67 12-month Professor AS16 51 49 12-month Professor Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science BESS1 100 0 9-month Lecturer BESS2 20 80 12-month Assistant Professor BESS3 31 69 12-month Associate Professor BESS4 40 60 12-month Associate Professor BESS5 67 33 12-month Associate Professor BESS6 57 43 12-month Associate Professor BESS7 21 79 12-month Associate Professor BESS8 32 68 12-month Professor BESS9 30 70 12-month Professor BESS10 27 73 12-month Professor BESS11 33 67 12-month Professor BESS12 18 82 12-month Professor BESS13 21 79 12-month Professor BESS14 30 70 12-month Professor BESS15 25 75 12-month Professor BESS16 30 70 12-month Professor BESS17 23 77 12-month Professor BESS18 34 66 12-month Professor

CASNR CASNR1 100 0 9-month Instructor CASNR2 35 65 12-month Professor

Entomology & Plant Pathology EPP1 20 80 12-month Associate Professor EPP2 18 82 12-month Associate Professor EPP3 13 87 12-month Associate Professor EPP4 15 85 12-month Associate Professor EPP5 17 83 12-month Professor EPP6 19 81 12-month Professor EPP7 18 82 12-month Professor EPP8 16 84 12-month Professor EPP9 16 84 12-month Professor EPP10 16 84 12-month Professor

Food Science & Technology FST1 15 85 12-month Assistant Professor FST2 22 78 12-month Associate Professor FST3 67 33 12-month Associate Professor FST4 21 79 12-month Associate Professor

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FST5 33 67 12-month Professor FST6 30 70 12-month Professor FST7 26 74 12-month Professor

Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries FWF1 25 75 12-month Assistant Professor FWF2 60 40 12-month Associate Professor FWF3 40 60 12-month Associate Professor FWF4 42 58 12-month Associate Professor FWF5 23 77 12-month Professor FWF6 52 48 12-month Professor FWF7 46 54 12-month Professor FWF8 5 95 12-month Professor FWF9 47 53 12-month Professor FWF10 51 49 12-month Professor FWF11 65 35 12-month Professor FWF12 11 89 12-month Professor FWF13 70 30 12-month Professor FWF14 30 70 12-month Professor

Plant Sciences PS1 100 0 12-month Lecturer PS2 100 0 12-month Assistant Professor PS3 20 80 12-month Assistant Professor PS4 75 25 9-month Assistant Professor PS5 100 0 9-month Associate Professor PS6 100 0 9-month Associate Professor PS7 100 0 9-month Associate Professor PS8 17 83 12-month Associate Professor PS9 15 85 12-month Associate Professor PS10 29 71 12-month Associate Professor PS11 33 67 12-month Associate Professor PS12 27 73 12-month Professor PS13 75 25 9-month Professor PS14 18 82 12-month Professor PS15 31 69 12-month Professor PS16 21 79 12-month Professor PS17 4 96 12-month Professor PS18 13 87 12-month Professor PS19 16 84 12-month Professor PS20 6 94 9-month Professor PS 21 25 75 12-month Assistant Professor

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I I I . CASNR 2020 Strategic Plan (Draft 1.2)

Background and goals Mission The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources educates and prepares students for leading a personally satisfying life as a productive member of society, with emphasis on careers in the agricultural, environmental, life and social sciences. Values The values of the College’s faculty, staff and students are core to our operational conduct and decision-making. First, we value Integrity. To maintain integrity, we conduct ourselves with honesty, consistency, and morality. Second, we value Personal Development. We give our people the tools to succeed, and provide leadership opportunities with the realization that every first effort may not lead to complete success. Third, we value Innovation. We embrace change and creativity, challenge each other, and create and adopt new and novel methods and technologies. Fourth, we value Inclusivity. By acknowledging and appreciating differences, we provide a climate where people of diverse experiences and thought are comfortable to express their ideas. We focus on understanding differences, and base decisions on thoughtful review of input from multiple sources. (From: committee members’ identification of personal and organizational values from first meeting; paring and defining those values at committee meeting of Dec. 12) Vision Our vision is to be a top-10 premier land grant college by providing graduates to the world capable of solving state, national, and global agricultural and natural resource challenges for improved food security, health, energy, and a better environment. (Developed in part from CASNR faculty, staff, student meeting of 9-22-11) CASNR Today Our college, like many across the nation, is at a crossroads as college education becomes increasingly important for employment as well as personal growth. Our student population increased 40% in the last 6 years. The composition of our student body, however, is increasingly urban and suburban students with little background, and in some cases interest, in conventional agricultural production. Society is seeking growth and prosperity in sustainable ways that maintain our economic strength, food security, and health, while protecting and improving our natural environment. Our educational work in agricultural and natural resources positions the college as a vital component of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. CASNR enjoys a solid alliance with research and extension through our role as part of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA). We are unique among Tennessee colleges as our faculty develop the research-based information used in our classrooms and by other colleges, with many of the research questions and opportunities identified by UTIA Extension personnel who also use the information to advance education outside the borders of the campus. Our college provides students with a broad education that develops critical thinking skills and

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adaptive behaviors. At the same time, our students learn focused skill sets which enable them to succeed either in a career path or from a suite of interdisciplinary opportunities as CASNR alumni. Trends State and federal formula funds for public colleges and universities have been on a steady decline for over 10 years with no sign of stabilizing or increasing. Tuition increases have made up part of the decrease, though public support for tuition to entirely offset public funding losses is increasingly slim. Grant and gift funds are becoming an increasingly larger portion of the budget, but those funds are typically tied to very specific items and cannot be relied upon to support the long-term personnel or programs needed for a college. Ultimately, cuts in university personnel, programs and services must make up the balance of formula funding losses. Hence, colleges will tend to specialize to provide high quality in fewer areas of education. Technology has become an important component of higher education and its development outpaces the adaptive abilities of most instructors and the infrastructure of brick-and-mortar higher education. Distance education using computer and other audio-visual technology is becoming incorporated to some extent at public colleges. The utility and desirability of such technology is mixed, and UT-Knoxville has recently reduced its support for its use as part of the curriculum, with the idea that individual units will appropriately develop such technology as best fits their areas of education. Some private, for-profit colleges such as the University of Phoenix have thoroughly embraced the technology, resulting in huge student populations. Students are increasingly using an expanding number of types of technology that blur the line between traditional education and social networking. Students with agricultural backgrounds comprise an increasingly smaller proportion of students, especially those interested in pursuing careers in production agriculture. The rise in student numbers for our college stems from urban and suburban students who enter the college for many reasons. These include a desire to have a smaller college-type experience with faculty advising, to having interest in pre-professional programs and environmental resources. Students increasingly want opportunities to have international experience at moderate cost and time, and more interaction with other colleges on the campus. Publicly-supported colleges are being held increasingly more accountable to the public, while few people realize the complexity of sources, expenses, and regulations tied to university budgets. Students at for-profit, distance-ed-based colleges have a higher default rate on loans (G. Blumenstyk, Chronicle Higher Ed., Dec. Feb. 4, 2011), and are often critiqued for not supplying employable skill development. It may be a matter of time before public funding to higher education becomes tightly tied to career placement, even though the intent of the education we provide has always been a mixture of career and personal growth. Indeed, compliance with Department of Education requires accreditors to include standards addressing “job placement rates” (ACICS, 2011). CASNR surveys indicate employers want innovative students with good communication skills who have strong work ethics and who are willing to be team members. Cross-discipline training is desirable, along with math, science, and accounting skills coupled with analytic ability. Results of a study commissioned by The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) and published in December 2011 noted

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the output of college-educated workers has failed to keep pace with industry’s needs since 1990. Of particular importance was the idea that college programs too often fail to align with employer’s needs for specific skills. As the need for college education increases, older adults (non-traditional) are returning to college to earn degrees. Increasingly the student body is attending part-time, as both traditional and non-traditional are maintaining part or full-time jobs. Such students are less likely to participate in extracurricular activities that may be important to personal and professional growth. Internationalization of the student body is slowly increasing. Most growth appears to be at the graduate level which can be complicated as international students may have different cultures and expectations than students raised in the US. Opportunities to attract graduate students are increasing as globalization occurs and are at the same time stymied by federal and university regulations and policies, such as TOEFL requirements that limit student access to those with funds and access to testing. (Developed from CASNR strategic planning committee surveys, college meeting, and media reports)

Goals and Micro-goals 1. CASNR will be a Center of Excellence by:

a) Being the school of choice for high quality and diverse students, faculty and staff from around the world

b) Valuing & recognizing collegiality, service, and citizenship (citizenship implies leadership and volunteer service)

c) Having CASNR students, staff and faculty known for technical expertise in Agriculture and Natural Resources

d) Having CASNR students, staff, faculty and alumni recognized locally, nationally and internationally as leaders in agriculture and natural resources

2. CASNR will “Educate the Whole Student” by:

a) Ensuring our graduates will successfully compete in the global marketplace b) Cultivating personal and professional development through constructive advising by

faculty and staff c) Administering an outstanding academic program that stimulates and challenges each

student to reach their full potential d) Encouraging and recognizing excellence in student support, teaching and advising e) Combining research and Extension with educational programming for practical, cutting-

edge impact 3. CASNR Will Enhance Excellence in Instructional Methods and Relevance in Curricular Content by the following means:

a) Institutionalizing experiential learning b) Promoting and supporting adoption of innovative instructional delivery methods c) Aligning curricula to encourage student success and service to society d) Engaging alumni stakeholders more fully into the educational process

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(Developed by committee using input from surveys of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and off-campus persons including representatives from other universities; a college-wide facilitated discussion on 9-22-11; and recognition of national trends identified by college personnel from personal experiences and media reports) Comments on draft 1) Seems awfully undergraduate-oriented 2) Ensure each objective can lead to appropriate strategies and tactics that can be properly

assessed with metrics. If can’t develop 3-5 for each objective, need to revise or discard the goal.

3) How is this plan going to “trickle down”? 4) To what extent does this complement department strategic plans? University and Institute

strategic plans? 5) On 3.c.: Strategic plan is for a given period. May have rolling plan but need to establish

base. Next Steps June-July

• Subcommittees develop strategies, benchmarks and metrics for measuring success. • Final review by college/others followed by final revision

August Marketing tools developed (brochures, website, fact sheet) and shared on/off campus September 2012-April 2013 Implementation teams monitor achievements, working with individuals, groups, departments as appropriate April 2013

• Implementation teams develop first year report • Updates provided to college and public via spring college meeting and website • Repeat each April through April 2017 when a final report is prepared. Next strategic plan

will build off the 2012-17 plan and be responsive to existing forces and needs.

Membership of Strategic Planning Committee Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications: Dr. Carrie Stephens Agricultural Resources and Economics: Dr. William Park Animal Science: Dr. J. Lannett Edwards, Dr. Cheryl Kojima Biosystems Engineering: Dr. Eric Drumm Entomology and Plant Pathology: Dr. Ernest Bernard, Dr. Kimberly Gwinn Food Science and Technology: Dr. Lana Zivanovic

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Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries: Dr. Keith Belli, Dr. Donald Hodges, Dr. Richard Strange Plant Sciences: Dr. Robert Augé, Mr. Andy Pulte CASNR: Dr. Theressa Cooper, Ms. Emily Gray, Dr. John Stier Graduate students: Mr. Alex McLemore, Mr. Mathew Halter Undergraduate students: Mr. Grant Davis, Ms. Lindsay Rochelle Communications and Marketing: Mr. Douglas Edlund Facilitator: Mitch Owen, Mitchen Co. C. Outcome of Strategic Plan The strategic plan will be used to inform decisions and resource allocations by administration and faculty. Members of the strategic planning committee will monitor implementation and success metrics, and provide a report to the college annually through completion of the timeline, currently planned for 2012-2020.

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IV. CASNR Diversity Plan (2010-11)

Goal 1: Develop and implement an enhanced diversity management plan for faculty, staff, and students Objectives Strategy Date Responsible

Party Benchmarks Outcomes

Affirm administrative commitment to support the diversity management plan

Appoint a college-level diversity task force and task force leader to develop plan details and infrastructure for its implementation

Sep 10 Beyl Formal appointment of the committee members and task force leader and communication of its charge

Functioning and active committee

Taskforce will begin initial strategizing and task implementation

Identify data and assessment needs Identify interested representatives Identify college level strategies and priorities for both recruitment and retention Propose budget and timeline for execution

Oct 10 Dec 10 Feb 11

Cooper and task force members support from Beyl

Representative data Task force plan and budget Task implementation

Knowledge of the diversity base, enhanced recruitment and retention success, and heightened minority and female visibility

Refine task force strategies

Review assessment data and progress

Jun 11 Cooper and task force members

New task force plan and timeline

Holistic approach to cost-effective diversity management

Goal 2: Increase the diversity of the faculty, staff, and students within CASNR with respect to gender, race, ethnic origins, etc. Increase the percentage of students from underrepresented populations

Represent diversity more prominently in recruitment materials Actively

2009 Aug 10

Adams Adams and Cooper

Completion of new recruiting brochures and recruiting web site

Percentage of underrepresented students has steadily increased from 10.85% in 2007

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involve MANRRS and AgAmbassadors in the recruitment process Proactively focus on recruiting from urban areas with higher populations of underrepresented students

Sep 10

Adams

Visits by both MANRRS members and AgAmbassadors to high schools and recruiting events in Memphis, Chattanooga, and Nashville

to 13.76% in 2010

Increase the percentage of particularly women and underrepresented minorities in faculty and staff positions Reaffirm commitment to diverse pools of qualified candidates for all open positions

Make proactive use of opportunity funds to help place persons representing diversity into positions particularly in those disciplines where they are very scarce Active solicitation of women and minority candidates should be emphasized

Jul 10 2010 and ongoing

Beyl Department Heads

Female and/or underrepresented minority hires occurring more frequently among the faculty and staff open positions

Hires of qualified females in BESS, PS, and FWF including two black females, one faculty member in FWF and one postdoctoral position in BESS

Goal 3: Assess and ensure the success of persons representing diversity in the academic environment To obtain quantitative data on how successful the academic experience of

Obtain institutional research data on retention rates and 6-year completion

Oct 10 Beyl and IR Accurate trend data disaggregated by demographic factors and program area

Characterization of diversity strengths and weaknesses

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students is as a function of race, gender, and other factors contributing to diversity

rates Examine data to determine trends with respect to discipline and where attention needs to be focused

Determine critical factors that impede retention and degree attainment for underrepresented students

Conduct focus groups and establish listening posts among CASNR student services center to identify contributing factors to both success as well as lack of success

Nov 10 Beyl and CASNR student services group

Points of experience confluence contributing to retention and successful matriculation documented

Removal of perceived barriers to successful college completion by underrepresented student populations

To obtain quantitative data on how successful the professional success and advancement of staff and faculty is as a function of race, gender, and other factors contributing to diversity

Obtain institutional research data on progression through ranks, salary, and survey data on perceived environment for women and minorities

Oct 10 Beyl and Academic Affairs

Accurate comparison data for progression and compensation

Elucidation of problem areas that should receive focused attention

Goal 4: Create an academic environment that welcomes, celebrates, and seeks diversity in all its aspects and appreciates its value Sponsor workshops that focus on diversity in the workplace

Host a workshop on ‘Success Strategies for Women in Science’

Oct 10 Beyl Purchase books Invite speaker Conduct survey Host workshop Use input obtained for

Enhanced skills among women in science Increased rate of progression through ranks

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strategic planning process

Help facilitate workshop featuring Dr. Yolanda Moses, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Excellence and Diversity at UC Riverside.

Mar 11 Department Heads

Conduct session UTIA-wide Conduct session with department heads Conduct session with UTIA deans

Widespread appreciation of the value of diversity in UTIA and awareness of issues that foster it

Seek input for choice of speaker to be featured in 2012

Mar 12 Department Heads

Send out call for suggestions via department heads meeting

Slate of speaker nominees for annual diversity workshops

Goal 5: Implement a holistic educational experience that results in graduates capable of assuming leadership and contributing productively to a diverse and global workplace which positively impacts sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship Increase the number of students participating in international experiences

Promote the value and impact of international experiences among incoming freshmen

Summer 2011

CASNR staff Number of students receiving information about international opportunities

Early inculcation of an expectation of international exposure

Increase the availability and access to funds to support international experiences for all students

Sep 10 Dean and scholarship committee

Increase in dollar amount and number of students impacted by support for international experiences

Increased access to the international opportunity by students typically unable to afford it

Ensure that global perspectives are included in curricula

Review of courses documented as containing “Ready for the World” content

Jan 11 Graduate and undergraduate coordinators

Validation of existing course list and increase in number of courses classified as “Ready for the World”

A more globally competent and knowledgeable student body

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Encourage internships, service learning, and research with international connections and implications

Begin promotion of ‘out of the classroom’ expectations for a holistic educational experience from orientation and throughout the student experience

Sep 10 Coordinator of Honors, Dean, CASNR staff, and faculty

Increase in number of internships, service learning practice, and undergraduate research experiences

A graduate more capable of assuming a responsible role as a leader in agricultural and environmental careers

Documents

Unit Review Self Study Report - Welcome to UTIA! 5-Year Unit Review... · Technology ; Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries; and Plant Sciences. ... and Evaluation at Alabama A&M University