Agriculture Clubs: Extending Mutual Interests

Abstract

At Southeast Missouri State University, the Department of Agriculture provides undergraduate instruction to individuals whose career objectives center mainly on production agriculture or agribusiness. This paper demonstrates how departmentally sponsored clubs may be utilized to promote learning and professional advancement. The three departmental clubs are the Agriculture Club, the Horticulture Club, and Delta Tau Alpha (a national honorary organization). In 1988 the department sought to use multiple faculty advisors, encourage the involvement of freshmen, expand the number and the magnitude of the club projects, and to explicitly teach professional behavior. Presently club participation has increased and freshmen are increasingly involved. Faculty are increasingly rewarded for their participation by a departmental decision to elevate club advising duties to the same status as teaching a 3-h class per semester. Promotion criteria for faculty assessment requires a faculty peer review with criteria determined by the club's teaching mission.