Ag Ed and Ag Operations Technology Come Home to MSU College of Ag

1/17/2001

            BOZEMAN – As of Jan. 1, agricultural education and agricultural operations technology have been reincorporated into the Montana State University College of Agriculture.

            "If the Board of Regents approves it, the AgEd/AOT group will be the Division of Agricultural Education/Agricultural Operations Technology and Greg Johnson will be the administrative director," says the college's Dean Sharron S. Quisenberry.

            "I think the move will be transparent to the students," says Johnson. "We want to make this transition as seamless as possible." In the short term, no degree programs or classes will change, though Johnson says that this move will increase collaborative work between departments in the College of Agriculture and AgEd/AOT.

            Historically, 80 percent of students majoring in agricultural operations technology have gone to work on Montana farms and ranches as managers or farm hands. That option includes strong components in both new and traditional technologies, like geographic information systems and mechanical engineering. About 50 percent of agricultural education graduates at MSU have taken jobs teaching high school agricultural education. Other professions for those graduates included agricultural sales, management or education.

            "Having the agricultural education and agricultural operations technology groups back with the College of Agriculture should improve communication, coordination and make the program more responsive to the needs of agriculture," says Don Kress, the College's interim associate dean. The move was supported by the College of Agriculture's clientele, including Montana Stockgrowers, Montana Graingrowers, Montana Farm Bureau and the Montana Association of Agricultural Education.

            The move back to the College of Agriculture comes eight years after the unit was moved to the MSU College of Education. 

Go to more feature stories arranged by category.

Send questions or comments to Carol Flaherty, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717 or email Flaherty at carolf@montana.edu.

You are the 6487th person to access this page.