Undergraduate Program Agronomy

1. Undergraduate Program Agronomy Rose Koenig

2. Outline • UF/CALS overall statistics and trends • Faculty and their teaching assignments • Undergraduate major • Undergraduate Coordination/Advising • Recruitment • Clubs • Scholarships • Facilities

3. UF/CALS overall statistics and trends • 52,271 students, 36,386 undergraduates • Over 100 undergraduate majors • 16 colleges • Current enrollment UF • 2011 enrollment College of Agriculture and Life Sciences- 3725 • Approximately 3.7% enrolled in majors related to the plants sciences- Botany, Golf and Sports Management, Horticultural Sciences, Landscape and Nursery Horticulture and Plant Science

4. Trends • From 2001 to 2011 CALS enrollment has increased 21% • Students enrolled in majors previously mentioned decreased from 173 to 139 from 2001-2011 • Enrollment this year has increased 30%; we are now the 6th largest major in CALS

5. Undergraduate Student Admissions

6. Faculty and their teaching assignments

7. Course Jerry Bennett • AGR 4512 Physiology and Ecology of Crops (Fall) • Required in some specializations within major; or focus area elective in plant science major

8. Course Jay Ferrell and Diane Roland • AGR 4214 C- Applied Field Crop Production (Fall) • Focus area elective in plant science major

9. Course Luke Flory • PCB 2441 Biological Invaders (Fall) • B” course designed to attract students, credit hours • Biological Invaders

10. Course Maria Gallo • AGR 4932 Introduction to Genetics and Genomics (Fall) • Serves students in UF nursing program; student credit hours • AGR 2332 Seeds of Change • Not currently being offered

11. Course Bill Haller • PLS 4613 Aquatic Weed Control (Fall, even years)

12. Course Kevin Kenworthy, Wilfred Vermerris Jianping Wang • AGR 3303 Genetics (Fall, Spring, Summer) • Serves our major and many other professional students on campus; over 200 students fall and spring and 100 in summer

13. Course Rose Koenig • PLS 3004 C Principles of Plant Science (Fall and Spring) • Serves as core course for major • “B” course

14. Course Rose Koenig • PLS 2003 C Plants that Feed the World (Fall) • “B” course designed to attract students to major and student credit hours • FYCS 4932 Community Food Systems (will co-teach pilot course fall) • Will serve as a required course for new specialization

15. Course Rose Koenig • AGR 3501 Environment, Food and Society (Spring) • “B” course, recommended by number of majors, student credit hours; focus area elective in plant science major • AGR 4212 Alternative Cropping Systems (Spring) • Required for Organic specialization in Horticultural Sciences and Focus area elective in plant science major

16. Course Rose Koenig • AGR 4932 Tropical Cropping Systems (Summer) • Focus area elective in plant science major

17. Course Greg MacDonald • PLS 4601 C Principles of Weed Science (Fall) • Focus area elective in new specializations and required in a number of ag. majors

18. Ken Quesenberry • AGR 4321 Plant Breeding • Focus area elective in specializations, required in Plant Genetics Specialization

19. Lynn Sollenberger • AGR 4231 C Forage Science and Range Management (Spring) • Focus area elective in new specialization and required in a number of ag majors

20. Undergraduate major

21. Brief History of Undergraduate Major • 1980’s rapid decline in undergraduate admissions in Agronomy major • 1995 Agronomy combined with Plant Pathology to form a “Plant Science Major” • Specialization -Science and Technology • Specialization-Sustainable Crop Production and Management • Since early 2000 a number of task forces were established to examine a combined Plant Science major including Environmental Horticulture, Horticultural Sciences, Soil Science and Agronomy • 2011 Revised Plant Science Major shared among Agronomy, Environmental Horticulture and Plant Pathology

22. The Good News! • Latest enrollment in Plant Sciences up by 30% to 107 students (25% off campus) • Now 9th largest major (out of 20) in CALS

23. Plant Science Undergraduate Program

24. Justification of New Specializations • Development of a Survey Instrument in Task Force Process for industry input • Development of a Survey Instrument in Task Force Process for student input • Current trends at public and private institutions • Models at UF

25. Minors • Currently Plant Science minor with 15 credit requirements • Interdisciplinary minor in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology managed through Horticultural Sciences Department • Under discussion in Plant Science Coordinating committee to redesign to attract students

26. Design of Specializations • Core Courses (all specializations share 3) • Required Courses (depends of area of specialization) • University Requirements (Diversity, Biological and Physical Sciences, Humanities, Math, Social and Behavioral Sciences) Gordon Rule • CALS Requirements- 2 communication courses, Economics and math • Approved Electives- Focus area

27. Three Core Courses

28. Academic Coordination/Advising

29. Transition from single to multiple advisors for major • Program assistant serves both undergraduate and graduate program • Plant Science Coordinator position on trial basis

30. Recruitment

31. Recruitment • Undergraduate Coordinator and program assistant • Challenge • Currently Plant Science Coordinator active in recruiting with assistance from departments

32. Clubs

33. Scholarships

34. Scholarships • Number of Scholarships available at the College level based on different criteria (need, academic achievement) • Agronomy and Soils Club • Florida Seed Association

35. Facilities

36. On Campus Teaching Farm • Two new teaching classrooms with renovation of McCarty Hall B and prep room

37. Challenges

38. Need to grow our student numbers • Retirements- Who will teach courses? • Support of Plant Science Coordinator Position • recruitment • Classroom space/facilities • Teaching farm support