Story by Sadie Boline, freshman (ACJ)
The school year is off to a great start with events within and outside the classroom and plenty of students to attend them. The department began fall semester with a record-breaking number of 30 new students in the agricultural communications and journalism major: 7 transfers from other majors, 5 transfers from other institutions and 18 freshmen. Overall, there is now a historic high of 83 students in the major.
Freshman Ellen Eldridge explains how she chose her major.
“I grew up not being a big part of agriculture, and the people around me were unaware of the agriculture world. Studying agricultural communications allows me to expand my knowledge of the agriculture industry and help be an advocate.”
The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) chapter has already hosted a mini golf social, a résumé critique workshop night and guest speakers who gave insight on internships.
Enrollment in the agricultural education major also increased this fall. There are 35 new students in the major: 7 transfers from other majors, 13 transfers from other institutions and 15 freshmen. Overall, there are 77 students in the major. This boost in enrollment is much needed.
“We currently have a critical shortage of agricultural educators across the nation, and there is certainly a critical shortage in the state of Kansas,” says Brandie Disberger, agricultural education instructor. “Our desire is to increase our enrollment numbers so we can help meet the needs of the Kansas high schools across the state.”
The department has set goals to have 35 new students in the major every fall and to graduate 25 students every spring. There are 15 seniors on track to graduate this spring. Faculty have developed recruitment strategies and tactics to recruit and retain more students.
Students in the Agricultural Education Club are gearing up to attend the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, this month. Faculty and students in both majors are well on their way to another successful semester. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date with more stories each month.
