CU’S AGRICULTURE PROGRAM IS POISED TO GROW What do you do when you’ve identified some areas for improvement in an academic department, yet budgetary constraints don’t allow you to implement the strategies needed to ensure students are getting the best educational experience? You develop an advisory board of alumni and business members that are well versed in the topics at hand.
and advice, and to help find solutions to challenges that might hamper the success of the academic program. Case in point: the department’s tractor was requiring more and more maintenance, to the point that faculty and staff realized that it wouldn’t last much longer. Early in the Fall 2020 semester, the tractor broke down and couldn’t be repaired. Conley was forced to lease a tractor so that critical work could be achieved – drawing funding away from the unit’s already over-taxed budget.
That’s the action that Dr. Terry Conley, then-chair of the Department of Agriculture, Biology and Health Sciences, and Vice President Shortly thereafter, for University during a Zoom Advancement meeting of the Albert Johnson Agriculture Jr. took by Advisory establishing Committee, the Agriculture Conley’s report The agriculture program's new tractor, provided by Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, Advisory included news of was used to welcome participants to CU's Agriculture Interscholastic Meet. Committee the non-fixable in 2019. The tractor and the committee connects members of the agricultural need to find funding for a new one. Following the community to Cameron in order to verify the direction meeting, committee member John Grunewald, president our agriculture program is heading is relevant to what of Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, contacted these leaders are living on a daily basis. Johnson and told him to send a proposal for a tractor and a drone to his company. The result: CU’s agriculture Since Cameron has the only four-year agriculture degree program now has a new tractor and drone. program south of I-40, it’s critical that the university provide a relevant curriculum as well as the tools and But that’s not the only donation made to the agriculture resources necessary for our students to succeed as they program. work toward degree completion,” Johnson says. “The Agriculture Advisory Committee has already played a “I have to thank the members of the Agriculture significant role in our ability to do so. Advisory Committee, not only for their participation, but for the investments they are making in Cameron’s The group typically meets once per semester to hear agriculture program,” says Johnson. “Between the updates about CU’s agriculture program, to offer input members of the committee, Cameron University and 8
CAMERON UNIVERSITY
