Communication Function of Land Grant Universities in Transition

Deva Eswara ReddyPresented at USAIN ConferenceWooster, OH 26-30 April 2008

dereddy@tamu.edu

Communication in Land Grant University Context

• LGUs functioned as “People’s colleges”• Teaching, research and extension functions

evolved over a period of half a century• Morrill (1862), Hatch (1897),and Smith-Lever

(1914) acts• Influence of the people outside the academic

world on curriculum, programs of public service or extension was all pervasive

Sources of Communication and Objects of it

• Organizations, institutions, external groups, and individuals with different views

• Agribusiness , trade and marketing• Chemical and food industries• Farm organizations, farmers and ranchers• Legislature and the Governor• Congress and Congressional aides• Most do function as employers LGU products

Board of Regents and the Linking Function

• They are the intermediaries between the legislature, and other arms state government, the public, and the university

• They represent the institution to society, and at the same time they reflect society’s concerns in university management

• Disseminate programs across the state through outreach and public service efforts

President / Dean of Ag. College

• Getting technical information to farmers is hardly the first thing the LGU president or the dean would mention when asked

• The most difficult problems of communication -telling a wide variety of publics what university resources are available to them, informing them about university’s needs , and making sure they understand what the university can and cannot do

• They hear and get feedback regularly from parents , alumni, students, taxpayers, and organized groups

Legislature and Governor

• For LGU, the arms of state government (chiefly the Legislature and the Governor) are an important object of communication efforts

• The LGU wants the understanding of its state legislature and governor – not their interference, but their informed awareness of its work

• Although the funding comes from variety of sources, LGU budget is enacted by the legislature

• Budget - a way of mechanism of asking the university by the people “what have you done for me lately”

Congressional Aides

Farm Foundation Findings• LGUs were viewed as sources of policy information

and perceived the research to be practical• Congressional aides tend to favor interpersonal

communication channels, such as personal contacts and e-mail, for receiving policy information

• World Wide Web tend to be mentioned as the single most preferred channel

Faculty

• Faculty perceives the need to serve the stakeholders • It is a source of painful cross pressure to the faculty

to ensure higher income for farm people and better diets at a lower cost to the consumers

• Direct service includes giving workshops at growers meeting on management practices

• Setting research agenda, interaction with ag business• Indirect service includes publishing applied results in

nontechnical magazines

Agribusiness and Communication

• LGUs keeps informed with firms that produce and supply the farmer’s production inputs , those that buy and process his products such as :

• Entomologist, Human nutritionist - chemical and food industries

• Animal scientist and Ag.Economists – Livestock markets and processors

• Dairy Scientist – Breed associations, dairy men organizations, milk cooperatives, dairy manufacturers

Farmers

• Land grant university no longer holds the monopoly position it once did over scientific information

• Agricultural industries have their research departments

• For farmer, a variety of organizations such as agribusiness, commodity groups farm organizations communicate facts useful to him

• The larger and prosperous his operation the more likely he is to be drawing information from variety of sources

Farm Organizations

• They help report on its work, and tell the university what they think about what they are doing

• Like other professional schools of medicine or law fields, the people practicing the profession have firm views about how others are to be trained

Mass Media

• Takes considerable initiative in transmitting scientific and technical information and reporting other university activities and needs

• In addition they report to the university and officials some of the views held by those outside its immediate family of students, faculty, and staff

• This tends to be sporadic kind of communication. However, overemphasizing conflict, dissent, and interruptions of normal continuity is not uncommon

Extension Service: A two-way Communication device

• The function of communication between the university and its community on equal terms can be better typified and personified in the county extension agent

• It is a source of strength in evaluation of university accomplishments

• The university could count on every legislator knowing well at least one university staff member in the legislator's home district which could influence the legislative and funding needs

Transition and Challenges

• Aftermath of September 11• Agro terrorism and initiatives in agricultural security• Globalization and interconnectedness of nations• Influx of foreign students• Budgetary cuts• Decrease in the number of farmers and farms• Outsourcing of agriculture • Emergence of new nations• Move towards energy independence

LGUs are Changing

• The industrialization of agriculture has left farming with many fewer farmers

• Farmers are far better educated and informed about all dimensions of their business and pay consultants and firms for highly specialized information and services tailored to their specific farm and its location.

• The role of extension is slowly being privatized

Departments in Transition

• Agriculture related departments are getting reduced. General university faculty is competing in basic research.

• LGUs have expanded with Health science programs in addition to veterinary medicine

• Biotechnology, Genome …..

International Student Enrolment in United States in 2007

• India 83,833 • China 67,723 • Korea 62,392• Japan 35,282 • Taiwan29,094• Canada 28,280• Mexico13,826• Turkey 11,506 • Thailand 8,886 • Germany8,656

• United Kingdom 8,438 • Saudi Arabia 7,886 • Nepal 7,754, • Hong Kong 7,722 • Indonesia 7,338 • Brazil 7,126, • Colombia 6,750, • France 6,704,• Kenya 6,349, • Vietnam 6,036,

Labor Force

• In 1862: 50% of all US residents lived on farms which employed 60% of the labor force.

• In 2007: farming, forestry, and fishing 0.6%,• Manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%,• Managerial, professional, and technical 35.5%, sales• Office 24.8%, other services 16.5%

note: figures exclude the unemployed• US labor market needs both high human capital immigrants

such as working class immigrants. The need arises to educating incoming labor force

Farmers Crossing The Border - To Mexico

• Western Growers, an association representing farmers in California and Arizona, conducted an informal telephone survey of its members in the spring. Twelve large agribusinesses that acknowledged having operations in Mexico reported a total of 11,000 workers here.

• Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., displayed a map on the Senate floor in July 2007 locating more than 46,000 acres that American growers are cultivating in just two Mexican states, Guanajuato and Baja California.

• http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/09/eveningnews/main4004958.shtml?source=search_story

Current Major Foci of International Agricultural Programs

• Making imported food safe• Securing the homeland from poisonous plant materials• Meeting the human resource needs of American companies

operating in other countries• Providing international experience to students and faculty• Gaining germplasm from research• Establishing collaborative global research programs• Energy Independence and bio-fuels

Agenda by the Task Force of NASULGC

• Enhance global competitiveness of U.S. agriculture through human resource development

• Develop and disseminate information about market, trade, and business opportunities

• Establish mutually beneficial global partnerships• Promote trade through global economic

development• Promote global environmental quality and the

stewardship of natural resources management

Implications on Information Services

• Privatization of information leads to less reliance on Extension and more dependence on private technical consultants

• Since libraries and Extension have common goals, mission, and commitment of not for profit service, both can establish linkages in e-extension in dissemination of information to new constituencies

• Open access will enable universities to maximize their own investment in research, as the results are more readily available for others to build upon

ConclusionExtension and outreach are information-rich areas. Interactive, collaborative, web-based applications arechanging the process of information delivery.Internet appears to be changing the land rant University’s communication function and outreach

Thank You !