From The Dean

Record Enrollments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Image - Dean Quisenberry
Sharron S. Quisenberry, Dean

Good news! Our goal to “grow college enrollments” is being realized. In August, 562 new undergraduate students entered the college to start their fall 2007 semester. This figure is up 24 percent from last year. The new class includes freshmen, transfer students from community colleges and other universities, as well as students entering the two-year agricultural technology associate degree program.

In addition to this overall milestone for new undergraduate student enrollment, the college has reached a new record for entering transfer students, up 43 percent over last year with a total of 126 students. This increase in transfer students is consistent with the goals of the university’s strategic plan and is also a testament to the success of our college’s articulation agreement with the community colleges. This agreement, entitled Guaranteed Admission Initiative, was formed between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Virginia Community College System in 2004. Under the agreement, community college students who graduate with a 3.0 GPA or better and successfully complete specific courses are guaranteed admission into the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

I am also proud to report that total college undergraduate enrollment is up, which includes both new and continuing students. This fall 2,428 undergraduates are enrolled within the departments in the college, up 9.7 percent over 2006 and approximately 30 percent over 2003, when the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise (HNFE) joined the college. HNFE is the largest department in the college with nearly 800 students.

The growth of our college would not be possible without dedicated faculty and staff members who support the academic success and well-being of our students. Our college values good teaching and advising. To support and expand teaching excellence, we implemented our first ever summit on transformative learning and teaching in August. The event was well-received and sparked exciting thoughts and projects, which I am sure will soon benefit our students. We are blessed with many excellent teachers and advisors, and I am grateful to the faculty and staff who move our teaching mission of academic excellence forward.