Dean Mohamed Ahmedna speaks at an event on campus.
Happy Holidays to each of you!
As I reflect on the year’s events, I realize that 2021 has been a year of contrasts. It was the year we all came back together with a new appreciation for community, although we began the year apart due to the pandemic. It was a year in which we had much to celebrate, because throughout the year, we did what a college of agriculture does best: We grew.
We grew our facilities. In September, we opened our Research and Extension Farm Pavilion. This $6 million, 17,000 square foot facility will give more of our constituents access to our largest classroom and largest laboratory – the University Farm – than ever before. Also, this fall, the CAES obtained a $5.1 million grant from USDA NIFA to expand our biomedical research facilities. Our updated, redesigned facility will serve researchers from across the university.
We grew our programs. In the spring, we’ll launch our new Ph.D. in agricultural and environmental sciences. With concentrations in food science, human nutrition and health; sustainable agriculture and environmental science; agribusiness and applied economics; sustainable animal production and health; and agricultural and Extension education, our graduates will provide leadership and research-based solutions for the agriculture industry as it grows to sustainably meet the world’s increasing need for food, fiber and other products. We also launched an interdisciplinary graduate Environmental Certificate in collaboration with the Colleges of Engineering, Science and Technology, Health and Human Sciences, and Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
We grew our research portfolio to $27.5 million, making the CAES the university’s leader in external funding. We’ll use this funding to study ginger and hemp cultivation, COVID and food animals, the nexus of food, nutrition and health, strategies to increase the number of underserved students in food, agriculture and natural resources, and the prevention of foodborne bacteria, to name a few of our research areas.
We grew our ability to touch people’s lives. We completed a statewide stakeholders’ needs assessment allowing us to increase knowledge of needs and programing gaps. We were successful in receiving a $3 million appropriation in the state budget toward the match of our federal funding for Extension outreach and Agricultural research.
Cooperative Extension at A&T grew, expanding its programs with a combination of traditional in-person outreach programs and “Extension Extended” virtual programs. This sustained Extension outreach was recognized by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, which jointly awarded Extension specialist Michelle Eley, Ph.D., a national Award of Excellence for 1890s land-grant institutions.
We grew our ability to address needs and respond to the issues affecting people nationwide. To help alleviate food insecurity, we opened the Student and Community Farm this year. Located in East Greensboro, a food desert, this farm gives members of the community a safe place to grow food and be together.
We grew our guidance for farmers and ranchers. We’ve produced new manuals on hemp production, high tunnel use and community garden organization, and provided field days on winter vegetable cultivation. We’re studying sustainable energy, digital and precision agriculture and ways to improve water quality. Soon, we’ll launch the Small Farm Resource Innovation Center, a “one-stop shop” to introduce farmers to agencies critical to their success, and to provide them with guidance on sustainable practices that small farmers can achieve.
A new state budget passed that includes funds for higher education, building renovation and program expansion gives us much to look forward in 2022. We look forward to you continuing e the journey with us t for another year of growth in 2022. Thank you for your contributions to the success of CAES.
Have a happy, safe holiday season, and best wishes for 2022.
In Aggie Pride,
Dean Mohamed Ahmedna
