Study ranks MU agricultural education program fourth in US

Eight respondents choose MU as first place.

By Zachary Murdock

Published Nov. 6, 2009

MU's agricultural education department was recently named a distinguished program by a study conducted by The Ohio State University. Out of 82 institutions nationwide, MU ranked fourth in the study.

Conducted by contacting representatives from each of the 82 included universities, the study ranked programs based on the answers provided by the respondents. The study also assigned a weighted score to those schools consistently ranked in the top 10 by their peers.

According to the study, the top five included the University of Florida, Texas A&M University, The Ohio State University, MU and Iowa State University, respectively. MU received 35 top 10 votes, eight of those respondents voted MU as the No. 1 program, the second most No. 1 ranking responses only to the University of Florida, which received 13.

The study went on to list the distinguishing characteristics of the top 10 programs, citing MU's faculty, teacher education and graduate program. Only MU and the University of Arizona have teacher education listed as one of their three distinguishing characteristics in the study.

"We are very student-centered," agricultural education department Chairman Rob Terry said. "All faculty are, first and foremost, teachers. Each of us takes part in the student organizations and we all serve as academic advisers for undergraduates and graduate students."

Terry said MU's program also works with teachers and students outside the university.

"Another distinguishing characteristic about our program is the amount of outreach and service we do," Terry said. "We spend a lot of time working with high school agriculture teachers across the state of Missouri and their students."

Three members of the department's faculty are Kemper award recipients, Terry said, and agricultural education department professor Robert Torres was named in the top 15 most distinguished professors in the study.

"I think the recognition was gained by the focus I place on students and student learning," Torres said. "The greatest satisfaction that comes from teaching is meeting and interacting with students."

According to the study, faculty members at all top 10 ranked schools were cited as a distinguishing characteristic of each program.

"University, college and program administrators should be reminded that faculty are clearly the most distinguishing feature of highly regarded agricultural education programs," the study said.

Terry also commended the student body for its help in building the program and acknowledged its work.

"The most special characteristic of our program is our student body," Terry said. "Our undergraduate and graduate students are intelligent, hard working and leadership oriented."

Terry said the school is going to have to learn to do more with less in tough economic times, but the school is building off its success and reaching out in innovative ways.

"The role of teachers and leaders as advocates of our food, fiber and natural resource systems has never been more important," Terry said. "Through research and practice, we are exploring innovative ways to use technology to get the positive message about American agriculture out to all people."