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Near-Campus Agricultural Facilities to
Move to Kentland Farm
Near-Campus Agricultural Facilities
to Move to Kentland Farm
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| Kentland Farm |
Planning Virginia Tech’s future is a complex process that takes into consideration a variety of forces and influences. Every five years, the university reviews its vision for the future in its strategic plan and documents the changes required in the campus master plan. In 2008, a comprehensive land-use study examined the impact of the university’s future expansion – as outlined in its campus master plan – on campus land, including farms.
“The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, under the leadership of former Dean Sharron Quisenberry, initiated a comprehensive study of agricultural land uses on or near campus to support future expansion while preserving the integrity of all agricultural programs,” stated Provost Mark McNamee. As recommended by the study, near-campus agricultural programs now located on the east side of the U.S. Highway 460 bypass will be relocated to Kentland Farm over a 10-year time period. Kentland Farm was the location identified by the land-use study as the site best suited to satisfy the needs of the agricultural programs.
“President Steger, the Board of Visitors, and I are fully committed to our agricultural programs and to facilitating the necessary changes. We are proud of our innovative and excellent agricultural programs, which are an integral part of Virginia Tech’s future,” said McNamee.
While he acknowledges that change can pose challenges, interim Dean Loke Kok welcomes the relocation and consolidation of the agricultural programs. “We have the opportunity to use this change to modernize facilities, to explore avenues for future growth and further integration of our programs across all mission areas, and to solidify agriculture as part of the university’s core,” explained Kok.
The expansion of the Corporate Research Center along Tech Center Drive and the expansion of the Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive Airport runway most significantly and imminently impact the college’s programs, most notably the dairy program located along Southgate Drive. Additional expansion projects for recreational sports and residential facilities will affect equine programs east of the I-460 bypass and poultry programs on West Campus Drive. The university administration – in close collaboration with representatives from the college and its departments – reviewed the impacts and timing of these projects and developed a phased plan that was reviewed by the Board of Visitors in March 2009.
The first stage of the land-use plan recommended the permanent relocation of the dairy program to Kentland Farm based on land availability, crop production issues, and the nutrient-management plan, which ensures the most efficient management of the animals and their waste and feed, which have become pressing issues for the program. This goal will be accomplished over the next several years. The university has allocated $500,000 for detailed planning of this relocation and is committed to funding the reconstruction of facilities that meet the teaching, research, and Extension needs of the dairy program.
Representing the college on the planning team are Mike Akers, H. E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor and department head of dairy science; Dwight Paulette, college farm coordinator; and Martin Daniel, director of operations. They will ensure that any specific program needs affected by the move will be addressed at the university level and seek input from the college community, students, affected producer groups, and other stakeholders throughout the process.
While the detailed planning is underway, several stages are planned: (1) nonlactating animals will be relocated to the west side of the U.S. 460 bypass during the fall of 2010; (2) facilities for the nonlactating and lactating animals will be planned and built at Kentland Farm; and (3) the palpation herd will be relocated to Plantation Road. The timelines for these phases are not finalized, but their completion is projected for sometime in 2013.
For more information about the dairy center relocation and other future relocation plans, visit the college’s website at www.cals.vt.edu/about/reloc_dairygen.html.
Harnessing the Power of Social Media
Virginia Tech students log on to the popular social-networking site Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family members, share news, publish photos, and advertise events. Recent graduates post their résumés on LinkedIn, and their fellow alumni reconnect with college acquaintances and learn the latest about their alma mater on the Hokie Nation Network. Faculty members post clips of lectures on the video-sharing website YouTube, and their peers in the academic and business worlds keep track of university research and outreach efforts on the micro-blogging service Twitter.
In the past five years, social networks have flourished with activity, and Virginia Tech has joined colleges and universities around the country in capitalizing on these emerging communication technologies.
“The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a presence on several major social networks to spread the word about its efforts to transform lives and build a future for our communities, the environment, and agriculture,” said Kerstin Roan, director of communications and marketing for the college. “We see social media as an important, strategic way to reach new audiences and supplement our traditional ways of sharing our messages with diverse publics and stakeholders, and I am excited about the success and interaction we have been seeing already.”
In February, the college created an official Facebook page for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends.
Originally designed by a Harvard University student for his classmates in 2003, Facebook now boasts more than 200 million members from all walks of life. The college’s public profile, which has already attracted more than 500 “fans,” features event announcements, photo galleries, video, links to publications, news and blog feeds, and a stream of content generated by the college and its fans. Virginia Cooperative Extension recently launched a page with similar offerings.
A newcomer in the Web 2.0 lineup, the fast-growing micro-blogging service Twitter allows individuals and organizations, such as the college, to broadcast short messages called “tweets.” More than 7 million active account-holders use their laptops, home computers, cell phones, and iPods to post everything from casual observations to breaking news, and they follow their friends, family, colleagues, and others to stay in touch with what’s happening around the world. Most opt to keep their updates public. The college joined this emerging community in February to share what others have to say about its teaching, research, and outreach efforts.
In July, Virginia Tech debuted Hokie Nation Network, a free, online, social-networking site designed to connect Hokies around the globe, and the college was one of the first to establish a group.
“Over the past year, we have been searching for ways to connect our young alumni with the college,” said Jamie Lucero, the college’s director of alumni relations. “Hokie Nation Network allows you to connect with former classmates and teachers, learn about the college, search for Hokies by locality or class year, get involved with an Alumni Association chapter in your area and the CALS Alumni Organization, find new business contacts, and advertise special events – from housing for rent to football tickets for sale.”
Hokie Nation Network is open to all Virginia Tech alumni, faculty, staff, and students. It is not, however, the only place on the Web where Hokies meet in a professional setting. Many have turned to the business-oriented social-networking site LinkedIn to post résumés, start discussions related to their fields, and find job opportunities. The college’s LinkedIn group offers news and discussion forums, as well as a chance for members to meet their peers in related fields.
Connect with fellow alumni and friends on these sites:
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College: www.facebook.com/vtagricultureandlifesciences
Extension: www.facebook.com/VirginiaCooperativeExtension
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http://twitter.com/VTAgLifeSci
Hokie Nation Network
Visit www.alumni.vt.edu/hnn and search for the college.
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Go to www.linkedin.com/ and search groups for Virginia Tech
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
For links to more Virginia Tech-related social-networking sites, visit www.unirel.vt.edu/networks.html.
New Leaders to Move the College and Extension Forward
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| Alan Grant |
Alan Grant, professor and head of the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University, will be the new dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective Oct. 1. Recognized as a University Faculty Scholar at Purdue, Grant has received multiple teaching awards and led his department through several capital projects, including a $2.3 million swine environmental research building and a $600,000 Ossabaw swine facility. Grant’s research on animal growth has led to strategies for increasing the efficiency of lean meat production and utilization. Working with research partners and students, he has also studied the relationship between muscle development and meat quality. Grant earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in animal science from Michigan State University and his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cornell University. He will succeed L.T. Kok, who has served as interim dean since March, after Sharron Quisenberry left to become vice president of research and economic development at Iowa State University.
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| Rick Rudd |
Rick Rudd, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, was named interim associate dean and director of Virginia Cooperative Extension in February. Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2006, Rudd was a professor of agricultural education and communication at the University of Florida. In addition to his research and teaching, Rudd directed the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching Resource Center. He also created a center for volunteer leadership development that provided workshops, online training, and materials for Extension faculty and professionals working with community volunteers and nonprofit organizations. An Ohio native, Rudd graduated with a Ph.D. in vocational and technical education from Virginia Tech after earning his master’s degree in agricultural education and bachelor’s degree in agriculture from The Ohio State University.
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| Susan Sumner |
Susan Sumner, professor and former head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, became associate dean and director of academic programs for undergraduate studies in May. She had held the position on an interim basis since last November. Sumner came to Virginia Tech in 1996 as an associate professor of food science and technology and was department head for eight years. Sumner served on the National Academy of Science’s Food Forum and several of its food-safety taskforce groups. She is an International Association for Food Protection Fellow and a Food Systems Leadership Institute Fellow. Sumner received both of her graduate degrees in food science/food safety from the University of Wisconsin and her undergraduate degree in food science from North Carolina State University.
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| Brian Calhoun |
Brian Calhoun, formerly an assistant professor in public relations and advertising at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, returned to his post as associate director of community viability for Virginia Cooperative Extension in July. Calhoun will serve as state program leader for the development and delivery of innovative programs that enable citizens and local governments to respond to local issues. He has been with Extension for more than 16 years, serving as the executive director of the Virginia 4-H Foundation and an Extension specialist in resource management and community development. Calhoun earned his Ph.D. in resource management and master’s degree in education, both from Virginia Tech, and his bachelor’s degree in business and public administration from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
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| Joe Marcy |
Joe Marcy, professor of food science and technology, became the head of the Department of Food Science and Technology in May after serving in that capacity on an interim basis since November 2008. A faculty member since 1988, Marcy previously served as the interim head of the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise. His academic program focuses on food packaging, food chemistry, and the interaction between food and its packaging. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists and recipient of the institute’s Riester-Davis Award. Before coming to Virginia Tech, Marcy was a business development manager with Rampart Packaging Inc. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with undergraduate and master’s degrees in food technology and science, and received his Ph.D. in food science from North Carolina State University.