CWU Agribusiness Program Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. Central Washington University’s Food and Agribusiness minor and certificate program is growing in just its second year.
Professor Mike Rogel says just like the agricultural industry itself; their program will need to adjust to industry changes as they happen over time …
ROGEL … “We’re trying to do our best to balance the strengths of academia with also the strengths of connecting the market. And academia has its strengths and it’s also got its weaknesses. Sometimes it’s tough to change in academia, but Claudia (Dumitrescu) and our department chair and our dean have done a great job, and our provost and president, all the way up through, have done a great job to try to make sure that we’re first and foremost connected to markets.”
In the classroom or for their internships, Rogel says students need to adapt …
ROGEL … “Everything that we do, we’re trying to target to help students to provide value when they enter an organization within the agricultural space. So that means that we’ve got to be connected to the industry and what we learn there we try to bring back into the classroom as well.”
The industry, Rogel says helps them do that …
ROGEL … “I’ve gotta connect with industry to make sure what tactics they’re using, what’s being utilized well, what’s not working. Because the lessons I learned in my career, some of them still apply and some of them, I’ve got to stay adaptable on, no different than if I was out in the industry working as well. So, we’re trying to do our best to make sure that our students hit the ground running and
prepared.”
Go to the Central Washington University website to learn more about the Food and Agribusiness program …
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/explore-programs/food-agribusiness-management-marketing-minor-certificate.php
