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A message from the Dean:Ag Sciences programs top in nation... but what about support?
Universities across the nation had individual faculty members evaluated for published articles, works cited by other professionals, awards, and grants and contracts received to support teaching, research, and outreach. The scores of individual faculty members were added across college units to get a final institutional score. In the field of agricultural economics, Colorado State University ranked first in the nation in faculty productivity. In food science CSU ranked fifth, in soil science CSU ranked ninth, in crop science CSU ranked tenth, and the University had four other program areas that ranked in the top ten nationally: atmospheric sciences, zoology, fisheries science and management, and computer engineering. Our College as a whole is ranked 11th in the entire nation in the field of agricultural sciences.
Since I came to Colorado State three and a half years ago, what I have noticed about College of Agricultural Sciences’ faculty at CSU is their hard-working nature, their nationally recognized competence, their positive spirit in applying science to important issues, and their professional dedication to their sciences and the agricultural industries and Colorado communities they serve.
Are they productive because of lavish public investments in their programs? Not really. As Governor Ritter has repeated, Colorado ranks forty-ninth nationally in support of higher education. Beginning in the summer of 2003 (fiscal 2004) Colorado State University suffered a severe budget reduction. Referendum C stabilized the College of Agricultural Sciences' public budget at the fiscal 2004 level except for some small salary increases, facility maintenance and utility cost increases. In response, the faculty has worked harder, resulting in a continuously increasing stream of self-generated contract and grant funds while still maintaining high productivity.
What would we do if public and gift funds increased? We would invest in more experiential learning to help students participate in more activities and apply what they learn. We would support our faculty with more personnel assistance to improve their efficiency and effectiveness even more. We would renovate some of our laboratory and classroom facilities which have not received major attention in years. Well directed support for units, programs and faculty in the College of Agricultural Sciences will produce very high dividends in quantity and quality of service to our students, our industries, and our communities.
Marc Johnson
Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences
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