![]() ![]() ![]() “Illinois State will always be interested in seeing students succeed and go on to meaningful careers.Part of the New Albany Shale lies beneath the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. “Faculty are very focused on helping students understand the current direction of the agricultural industry,” said O’Rourke. “Classrooms and offices in the Ropp Agriculture Building are all pretty close together, so we get to see the students quite a bit, both in and out of class.”Īll four agree that the tradition of providing students a broad knowledge of agriculture will continue, as well as the hard work of faculty to stay abreast of developments in an ever-changing and increasingly tech-driven field. “As a department, we’ve always had a great relationship with our students,” said Whitacre. “They’re very focused on their studies and their careers.”Ī consistently strong group of students reflects the department’s student-centered approach. ![]() “The students are just as talented and dedicated as they were 30 years ago,” he said. Today, only about 35 percent of our students come from farm backgrounds.”Īccording to O’Rourke, who has been part of the Illinois State faculty since 1983, one of the constants professors observed throughout the decades is the high quality of students in the Department of Agriculture. “In past decades many students already had some kind of experience in agriculture. “A greater number of students today come from non-farming backgrounds,” said Whitacre, who came to Illinois State in 1977. Because of consolidation, there are fewer farmers. Today’s American farms are much larger and more specialized in crop or livestock production. They pointed out that the traditional picture of the small, diversified family farm is more the exception than the rule these days. They sat down to reflect on the changes-and the constants-they have seen in agriculture and education during their time on campus. ![]() From large-scale farms to new technology, keeping pace with the changes-and how to teach them-has been the goal of faculty in Illinois State University’s Department of Agriculture.įour professors of agriculture, Kerry Tudor, Pat O’Rourke, Randy Winter, and Rick Whitacre, recently retired from Illinois State after 130 combined years of teaching. Over the last 40 years, the field of agriculture has seen sweeping changes. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |