The Department of Animal and Food Sciences takes pride in offering an educational program that provides students with current, research-based information and a solid base of concepts related to animal products, production, performance, and well-being. The Department strives to attract, retain, and graduate outstanding students who will become leaders in their professions and communities. This includes providing appropriate advising to assist students in achieving their academic goals in a timely manner, extracurricular activities to complement coursework and facilitation of internship opportunities and other interactions with the animal industry.
1. Classroom space is increasingly limited and some current classrooms are inadequately equipped.
Most Significant Challenges
2. Potential increases in funding opportunities are limited.
3. The current system of tracking graduates needs to be strengthened and improved.
4. Freshman retention and six-year graduation rates are less than desired.
1. Provide the best possible learning environment for students with dedicated faculty, instructors, advisors and staff.
Strategies
2. Implement current and new technology in the classroom, including the development of virtual classrooms.
3. Foster student participation and growth through personal and professional development opportunities beyond the classroom.
4. Use the experience of incoming students, career paths of recent graduates, and feedback from graduates’ employers to help drive curriculum changes.
5. Expand faculty involvement in and financial support of Departmental scholarship and recruitment programs.
6. Increase expertise and recognition of faculty for academic and extracurricular advising.
7. Encourage students to add business related coursework in their degree programs.
1. Increased the first-to-second year retention rate of full-time, degree-seeking students in the program to over 65%.
Key Indicators, by 2014 the Department will have:
2. Increased scholarship funding awarded to students within the department by 10%.
3. Increased the percentage of full-time students graduating within a 6 year period from time of first enrollment.
4. Established a working database of graduates; actively monitored career paths.