Ag and Life Sciences ONLINE

COLLEGE NEWS



- Ag ambassadors trained



- Honor to AST Club



COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK



- What employees want



INFOGRAZING



- Providing computers to freshmen



- Requiring computers for freshmen



EXTERNAL VOICES



- Effective recruitment/retention



MARGINALIA



- Dean for a day



- Rural anthropology



HOW TO SUBSCRIBE







C O L L E G E N E W S







AG AMBASSADORS TRAINED



Forty-seven students attended a Nov. 16 training session for the

Agricultural Student Ambassador Program. Ag ambassadors visit

high schools, giving presentations to students on the College

of Agriculture and answering questions about college life and

career opportunities. In the training session, ambassadors receive

information on the college, admission policies, financial aid,

job opportunities and presentation skills.



HONOR TO AST CLUB



Add the Agricultural Systems Technology Club to the list of student

groups receiving honors this fall. The club was first runner-up

for student technology and management branches in the annual Equipment

Manufacturers Institute trophies competition. Awards go to American

Society of Agricultural Engineers clubs with outstanding records

of activities and achievements.







C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K









WHAT EMPLOYEES WANT



Managers rate good pay and job security at the top of the list

of what employees want from their jobs, according to studies of

employee communication and staff morale. But employees often put

those two items in the middle of their top-10 needs. Most studies

show they desire recognition for work performed, a feeling of

being "in" on things and interesting work. (From Communication

Briefings.)







I N F O G R A Z I N G







PROVIDING COMPUTERS TO FRESHMEN . . .



The University of Washington has granted 65 first-year students

a free Apple Powerbook and software as part of the "UWired"

project, demonstrating the value of computerized information services

and their incorporation into teaching and learning. Students can

buy their machines next summer or turn them in. If the project

is successful, officials hope to expand it to all freshmen, but

not necessarily by providing them all with $4,300 laptops. The

university is working with vendors to come up with affordable

options. (Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 9.)



. . . REQUIRING COMPUTERS FOR FRESHMEN



In California, three state universities have requested permission

to require that incoming students have their own PCs, potentially

doubling first-year expenses. If approved, Humboldt State, Sonoma

State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo could set the trend for other

public schools. Some educators say the prerequisite could be a

financial hardship for lower-income families. (San Jose Mercury

News, Sept. 8)







E X T E R N A L V O I C E S







EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT/RETENTION PROGRAMS



David R. Treadwell, Jr., president of a Massachusetts communications

company, says research shows reputation, cost and location are

the most important factors in selecting a college. He estimates

a top-notch recruitment/admissions program can result in a maximum

10-percent gain in admissions, compared with a run-of-the mill

program. What can hurt admissions: Student word of mouth, bad

publicity (campus crime, academic dishonesty), bad job market

in campus specialty areas, ranked sports teams at rival campuses

and bad weather on prospective student days. What to do: Conduct

research and evaluate whole recruitment/retention picture honestly;

concentrate on retention -- it's easier to keep students than

attract them. (Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 2.)







M A R G I N A L I A







DEAN FOR A DAY



While Korry Hintze, a junior in animal science (pre-vet), led

the Ag Cabinet meeting today (Friday), Dean Topel attended Chemistry

331. Korry won the drawing for Switch-A-Day with the Dean of Agriculture.





RURAL ANTHROPOLOGY



In the July 1994 issue of Harper's, David Foster Wallace describes

a visit to the Illinois State Fair. "I suspect," he

writes, "that every so often editors at East Coast magazines

slap their foreheads and remember that about 90 percent of the

United States lies between the coasts, and figure they'll engage

somebody to do pith-helmeted anthropological reporting on something

rural and heartlandish."









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