Undergraduate enrollment at the University of Maryland's College of AGNR has been rising steadily over the last several years.
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
A searing drought has zapped much of the crops throughout the United States, but agricultural colleges are blossoming like never before.
Students are flocking to farming courses, driven by the abundance of available jobs in related fields — a reality that is in sharp contrast to the one facing city kids who are finding employment opportunities scarce in a recession-ravaged economy, college officials said.
Wendy Wintersteen, dean of Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said her school has seen a “simply incredible” 30 percent jump in undergraduate enrollment from 2006 to 2010.
Universities in the Mid-Atlantic region, appear to be following a similar trend as enrollment in major ag colleges has risen.
The University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has seen an increase in enrollment each year from 994 in 2007 to an unofficial enrollment of 1,230 undergraduates, according to Cheng-i Wei, AGNR dean.
Graduate student enrollment at the college has also increased, albeit at a slower pace, increasing by 21 students from 2007 to 2011.
“We’ve been working hard over the last several years to increase enrollment in part by highlighting the fact that the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland encompasses not only traditional agriculture, but so much more,” said Wei. “From world hunger to nutrition, food safety, STEM education and environmental stability, students can study a diverse range of topics in our program and we continually point out the wealth of job opportunities available within these fields.”
Virginia Tech had its highest enrollment of first year and transfer students this year, seeing a 22-percent increase from 2007.
“We continue to see an increase in the number of students enrolling in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for a very simple reason: Our majors are designed to create the next generation of leaders in life sciences, biosciences, agriculture, environment, and social issues,” said Susan Sumner, associate dean and director of academic programs. “Students entering our programs want to tackle the complex and pressing issues of our time. Our students and faculty are solving challenges that include environmental concerns, urban landscape issues, obesity and infectious diseases, food security, food safety, and energy production. “There is no better way to address those issues than with a degree in agricultural and life sciences.”
The University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has seen a 70 percent increase in applications for enrollment and the college’s current enrollment of about 705 students following an upward trend in enrollment numbers over the past eight years, according to Dr. Tom Sims, deputy dean for the college.
“We believe these increases are due to the strength of our undergraduate education programs, particularly the dedicated faculty in our college who are committed to excellence in teaching, to helping our students become engaged outside the classroom in rewarding activities that prepare them for futures in the private sector, university and professional education, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations,” Sims said.
Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture enlisted 3,584 undergraduate students in the fall of 2011. This fall, Wintersteen said the college expects to break its all-time enrollment record of 3,623 set 35 years ago in 1977. Women students comprise nearly 48 percent of ISU agriculture enrollment, a rising trend noted since the 1970s. Part of the appeal stems from the broad range of disciplines that agriculture offers, said Wintersteen, “from farm to table, from environment to entrepreneurship, from science to communication.”
“Students who choose this career path are passionate about farming and entrepreneurial in their thinking no matter if the farm is a large or small operation,” she explained.
Despite the challenging job market, agriculture continues to have a strong placement rate of 98 percent or better for new graduates, she said. “Our annual agricultural fair, which is the largest in the nation, is always crowded. Employers realize they must compete to hire our students.”
(Editor’s note: Some information was obtained from Farmers Feed US for this article.)
