College Relations and Communications
College of Ag Sciences
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Our Land-Grant Mission
Education—A Reputation for Excellence
Extension—Trusted, Relevant, Timely
Research—Science-Based Solutions
Stakeholder Groups—Support for Our College
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Our Land-Grant Mission
To create, analyze, and share knowledge
that improves the lives of people in
Pennsylvania, the nation and the world
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Our Land-Grant Mission
Signed into law by President Lincoln in 1862, the Morrill Act
established the land-grant system to meet the growing
demand for agricultural and technical education in the United
states. It was later supplemented by the Hatch Act of 1887
and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914.
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Our Land-Grant Mission
As Pennsylvania’s only land-grant university, Penn State
influences millions of lives across the Commonwealth and
provides:
• Accessible and affordable education for
undergraduate and graduate students
• A national system of agricultural research stations
• A national cooperative extension service that
disseminates science-based knowledge into every
community
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A Strong Tradition
The first of the colleges established at Penn State, the
College of Agricultural Sciences:
• Awarded the nation’s first baccalaureate degrees
in agriculture in 1861.
• Consists of 9 academic units and 67 cooperative
extension offices, one in each of Pennsylvania’s
counties.
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Education—A Reputation for Excellence
Training the next generation of scientists, business
leaders, and civic and community leaders
• Our current enrollment of approximately 3,000 students study
nature and science, environment and research, and engineering
and leadership along with agriculture-specific topics.
• Our reputation for educational excellence in dairy and animal
sciences, food safety, and landscape contracting is legendary—
serving as national models.
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Education
for the Future
Our programs cover
a broad range of
needs in food and
fiber systems,
natural resources
and environmental
stewardship, and the
improvement of
economic and social
well-being.
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Our students can
choose from nineteen
majors, four two-year
programs, and
twenty-four minors,
and can begin their
education at any of
Penn State’s twentyfour campuses.
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Undergraduate
students have the
opportunity to
expand their
experiences by
working with their
professors on a
variety of student
research
opportunities.
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Our facilities are as
unique as our fields of
study—our students
work in state-of the art
laboratories and
research farms and
utilize Pennsylvania’s
abundant streams,
forests, and wetlands
as outdoor living
classrooms.
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A World of Possibility
Unique resources and opportunities available to our
students:
• $2 million in both merit and need-based scholarships
• Internship opportunities through an extensive internship
database
• Global perspective through international programs that
introduce them to innovative policies and practices in
other countries
• More than 30 clubs and student organizations geared
toward their professional interests
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Extension—Trusted, Relevant, Timely
For nearly one hundred
years, Penn State
Extension has been
translating cutting-edge
University research into
practical knowledge to
help Pennsylvanians.
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Penn State Extension
• Funded by the U.S. Dept. of Ag and state and county
governments
• Delivers Penn State expertise directly to your
community to assess and address the social,
educational, and physical needs of the citizens
throughout the state
• Collaborates with individuals, organizations, agencies,
and local governments to ensure the info we deliver
to your community is timely, relevant, and useful
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Research—Science-Based Solutions
Driven by our founding
land-grant mission, the
college invests more
than $97 million in
research and graduate
study yearly.
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Research—Science-Based Solutions
• Whether it’s investigating the collapse of honey bee
colonies or developing energy for the future, research
in the college addresses both near-term and longterm issues.
• Our current research priorities include issues of
environmental balance and sustainability, bioenergy,
food safety, and pest prediction.
• Our long-established expertise in animal health,
reproductive biology, and specialty crops continues to
grow and improve the foundations of agriculture.
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From the Classroom to the Field
The College of
Agricultural Sciences is
committed to providing
high-quality graduate
programs to train the
next generation of
academics and industry
and government
professionals.
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Graduate Education
• Each year, the college enrolls nearly 600 graduate
students from all over the world in our 17
graduate program areas.
• We support more than 240 active student and
faculty research projects addressing the critical
issues of profitability, environmental impact,
youth development, health and safety, resource
utilization, conservation, and aesthetics.
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Research Facilities
From livestock and
domestic fowl facilities
and our three regional
specialty crop research
centers to our 13,800
acres of research
forests and farmland,
our researchers work in
a wide span of facilities
tailored to their focus
areas.
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Our Major Stakeholder Groups
• Penn State Ag Council—provides opportunities for
industry members to stay informed of college
activities and give their feedback.
• Penn State Extension Council—provides
opportunities for county-based stakeholders to
participate in college advisory and advocacy efforts.
• Ag Alumni Society—8,000 members strong, the
society provides programs for alumni of all ages and
keeps them actively connected to the college.
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Stay Informed
Sign up for news releases, listen to Penn State Ag
Sciences Radio and podcasts, subscribe to Penn
State Agriculture magazine and more on our
college news homepage: agsci.psu.edu/news
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