|
Telling the story of Purdue Agriculture
By Victor L. Lechtenberg, Dean of Agriculture
We all enjoy a good story, whether it's humorous, nostalgic or just a tall tale. And a good storyteller is essential to the success of a good story.
We at Purdue Agriculture rely on good storytellers to tell a very important story--that of our programs in research, Extension and teaching. Our storytellers are Hoosiers (the origin of that term is yet another story) who are members of the PCARET organization. PCARET is the Purdue branch of another organization--the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, or CARET for short. CARET is a national organization created in the early 1980s to build and maintain support for the land-grant university system.
PCARET members come from all walks of life, but share a belief in research-based education and the value of the land-grant university. They are advocates for Purdue Agriculture with county officials, state legislators and other decision-makers. Because they are representative of Indiana citizens who have benefited from our research-based programs, they are often asked to "tell the story." Their stories are much like those in this issue of Agricultures--about our research to develop alternatives to fossil fuels, the service our students provide to communities as a part of their education and our work to improve the welfare of animals, both domestic and wild.
With a membership more than 300 strong, PCARET is the envy of our fellow land-grant institutions. At the local level, members provide input into Extension program development and increase awareness of program and budgetary needs with county officials. At the state level, they promote awareness of agricultural research, Extension and teaching programs with legislators and organize grassroots lobbying activities. And at the federal level, PCARET works with Congress to increase funding for agricultural research and education.
In 1999, due in part to PCARET's efforts, Indiana legislators added a $2.8 million state budget appropriation to support Purdue Extension and to end a year-long hiring freeze. In the current session of the Indiana General Assembly, members are working to strengthen support for the University's general fund and to obtain funding for Purdue's initiatives in genomics and biotechnology. All of us at Purdue Agriculture thank them for sharing their stories on our behalf.
Have you heard any good stories lately?
|
