Virginia Tech Again Ranked Among Top Universities in Ag Research

BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan. 31, 2002 -- Spending on agricultural research at Virginia Tech increased more than 6 percent in 2000 compared to the year before, according to figures released by the National Science Foundation.

"This increase in funding is a tribute to the high esteem in which our faculty members are held, which in turn is a reflection of the consistent quality of the work they have produced through the years," said Andy Swiger, Virginia Tech's dean of agriculture.

Despite the increase in funding, Virginia Tech's agriculture research spending dropped two places to the No. 7 position in the NSF's nationwide ranking of programs in 2000.

"Our agricultural research program continues to grow, and our program is still firmly among the top 10 programs in the nation despite slipping in the rankings," said Kriton Hatzios, associate dean for research and director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. "The programs in some other states grew faster."

Virginia Tech, which was No. 5 in last year's rankings, was overtaken by Mississippi State University and Texas A&M University. Other universities ahead of Virginia Tech in the rankings are the University of California at Davis, the University of Georgia, the University of Florida, and North Carolina State University.

The NSF reported agricultural research and development dollars expended at Virginia Tech in 2000 at more than $63.8 million, an increase of more than $4 million over the 1999 figure.

The increase of funding of 6.6 percent is in line with the combined increase for the all of top 90 agricultural research programs, as reported by the NSF. Expenditures for the top 10 institutions, however, increased at a rate of about 13.5 percent. Only one university among those ahead of Virginia Tech in the rankings lost ground in the dollars devoted to agricultural research.

The NSF defines agricultural science to include such disciplines as agricultural production, aquaculture, soil science, animal science, plant science, agronomy, forestry, fish and wildlife, international agriculture, and many more.

Virginia Tech's agricultural research and development program accounts for one-third of the research spending at the university. With $192.6 million in research expenditures, Virginia Tech has the largest research program among Virginia universities.