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A History of the Farm & Industry Short Course
1 8 8 5 - 20 1 0
Serving Wisconsin 125 Years
U N I V E R S I T Y
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W I S C O N S I N - M A D I S O N
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of involvement with the rope pull at Little “I,” the
Little Badger, and showing livestock. In addition,
students gave the invocation and benediction at the
Short Course graduation, which was moved to the
Memorial Union Theater from the Stock Pavilion in
the late 1970s. Short Course students also participated in several recruiting trips to high schools with
the director.
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On July 1, 1983, Richard Daluge was appointed
Short Course director by Dean Leo Walsh. Daluge
had worked for the previous 11 years in the
College’s Academic Affairs office, and consequently
had worked with many Short Course students and
alumni from the White and Wilkinson years. That
same month, Walsh appointed a faculty task force
to review and recommend changes in the Short
Course program. Chaired by Professor Jerold Apps,
the committee met throughout the following year.
T
he 1983-84 Short Course year saw several
changes in the program. An orientation program for all Short Course students and their
parents was held about two weeks before the start of
classes, when students registered for classes, took
mathematics placement exams and had photo ID
card pictures taken. The program proved very popular and over 95 percent of all students attended.
Another new change for 1983-84 was the initiation
of a required convocation class for first-year students which meets during the first term, three afternoons per week. In many respects, the convocation
is similar to the forums held in the Wilkinson years;
the agenda includes tours of Steenbock library, presentations by various deans, and other appropriate
topics.
Another change in agricultural campus activities
occurred in 1983-84, when the Saddle and Sirloin
Club split the livestock showmanship events off
from the Little International and created the Badger
Livestock Show, held the week following Little “I.”
Short Course students continued their long tradition
T
he 1984-85 session was the start of the computer education era in the Short Course. Two
courses in Microcomputers for Farmers were
taught for the first time. Each student had his or her
own microcomputer to use in the class and learned
applications and operation of microcomputers.
Unfortunately, costs continued to rise for Short
Course. Wisconsin resident tuition for the 15 weeks
was $532.50 in 1984-85, and room costs were $495.
The good news was that scholarship monies ranging from $100 to $600 per scholarship continue to be
available to deserving students totaling $27,122.
In 1985, the Short Course dorms would have been
in operation 35 years, and many improvements had
been undertaken since the previous year, including
new locking mailboxes, expanded laundry facility,
new door locks, carpeting for some hallways, and
new lounge furniture, as well as all new beds and
mattresses. The new state 19-year old drinking age
law made for several new policy changes in the entire Madison campus dorm system.
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he Short Course Centennial celebration held
January 12, 1985 was the single largest gathering of Short Course alumni ever on the UW
campus. Nearly 800 alumni and faculty attended the
event. Speakers included alumnus Gene Schiller,
chair of the Centennial scholarship fund drive, Dean
Leo Walsh, Maurice Williamson of the Purdue Ag
Alumni Association. Claron Burnett, Professor of
Agricultural Journalism, showed a slide presentation on Short Course history.
The Centennial celebration generated over
$60,000 for a Short Course Centennial endowed
scholarship fund at the UW Foundation and a historical photo display was held in the Union Art
Gallery with the efforts of intern Valerie (Johnson)
Breunig. Past Short Course directors J. Frank
Wilkinson and Maury White were present at this
event which proved to be a great kick off for the next
100 years of the Short Course.
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hortly after the Centennial celebration, the
1984 Apps Task Force on the Short Course
presented its report to Dean Leo Walsh and
the FISC faculty committee. The report recommended many changes, which were initiated in the
1985-86 Short Course program year. The most significant change involved switching from a schedule
of three five-week terms to one that offered two sixweek terms plus a three-week term. This simplified
how credits were allotted: one credit for a three
week course, two credits for a six week course, and
three credits for six week courses with labs. Faculty
had to expand their courses six weeks or shrink
them to three weeks. Some courses were split over
two terms. The program also added a one-week
Interim session in early January that offered courses
to the general public as well as current degree and
short course students. Topics included use of GPS
technology, Computers in Farm Management,
Ration formulation, Pasture management,
Advanced Reproduction Mgt, and many others.
This credit system and length of terms for courses
is still being used in the 2009-2010 year.
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hort Course enrollment began to decline during the 1984-85 year, with about 170 students
enrolled, down from 241 students in 1980.
Enrollment reached a low point of 95 in the early
1990’s. This was attributed to the decrease in
Wisconsin farm numbers as well as the decrease in
high school graduates. Enrollments began to increase in 1995. The average enrollment in the 2000s
decade was around 130 students per year.
The student body make-up has also changed
since 1985, with the most obvious change being an
increase in women students. From 1985 to 1990,
about 5–10 women were enrolled each year. Since
2000, women have comprisesd about 20 percent of
the student body. Several large groups of international students attended Short Course, sponsored
through the FFA program from Eastern Europe. In
1991-92, 24 students from the Ukraine, Russia and
Georgia attended for a six-week term. A similar
number from this region attended each of the following two years. These students were welcome additions during this time of low enrollments. Foreign
students from many other other countries have attended since 1985. Several have come from
Germany nearly every year, while others have attended from Africa, South America, Europe, Central
America, and Asian countries. Having them in the
mix provides a great cultural experience for all Short
Course students. Students also come from 15 other
U.S. states from 1985–2010, the largest contingent
from Illinois.
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T
he curriculum continues to evolve. One
major change was the creation of the Grass
Based Dairy and Livestock Specialty and the
School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers
in 1995-96. This program is a joint effort between the
Short Course and the university’s Center for
Integrated Agricultural Systems. Funded by a
USDA grant and with Richard Cates as the first director, the School brought ten students each of the
first few years into Short Course to study grassbased dairying and livestock production. Special
scholarships were offered, and most students participated in internships as part of the program (two
students interned for a year in New Zealand). Cates
has also employed distance-education technology,
including video and audio feeds and the internet, to
offer the Grazing Seminar course through distance
education to students throughout Wisconsin and in
other states. In 2010 more students took the course
via distance education than on campus.
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nother significant addition to the curriculum came in 2006-07, when a new green industry specialty area offered horticulture
and landscaping courses. In the first year, Madison
Area Technical College taught two classes in the
evening, while others were taught on campus by
UW-Madison staff. In 2009-10, all classes in the program, now called the Landscape Industry specialty,
were taught on the Madison campus.
The Short Course continues to offer specialty programs in dairy, crops and soils, meat animals, service and supply, and farm mechanics.
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xtra-curricular activities remain an important
part of the Short Course program. Program
director Rick Daluge initiated an annual ski
trip for Short Course students each year to northern
Wisconsin. Bowling, showmanship contests, Little
Badger yearbook, student clubs, and visits to the
campus natatorium were all part of student life
through out the 1990’s and up to 2010. One notable
addition in 1989-90 was the introduction of a Short
Course dairy cattle judging team. The team was
coached for 16 years by James Armbruster of Dairy
Science. In its first year, the Short Course team finished second at the National Post-Secondary Dairy
Cattle Judging Contest held in Madison during
World Dairy Expo, earned first place at the North
American International Livestock Exhibition’s post
secondary contest in Louisville, and won the
Southwest Intercollegiate contest in Fort Worth.
Team members included Jon Powers, Brian Rohloff,
Jeff DeWall, and Dennis Gunst.
In 2008, the Short Course team now coached by
Chad Wethal placed second at the national post-secondary contest. This earned team members Paula
Courtney, Steven Davis, Luke Lensmire and Mandy
Peirick the opportunity to compete internationally
at the 2009 Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh,
Scotland.
In 2009 the Short Course took up another intercollegiate competition when it sent students to the
Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge in Rochester,
Minn. In this contest, students analyze a commercial farm and present management recommendations to a panel of five industry professionals. Dairy
instructor David Rhoda coached the FISC team,
which included Korey Statton, Luke Hischke,
Daniel Habermann and Charles Hookstead.
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n 1995, CALS dean Roger Wyse and associate
dean Richard Barrows requested a new review
of the FISC program. This included surveys of
alumni, faculty and staff, high school ag teachers
and current students. The study found that 87 percent of high school teachers endorsed the program
as ‘the place’ to study production agriculture, and
that 82 percent of alumni were involved in agriculture 10-15 years after graduation, and that 20 percent of alumni had completed a bachelor’s degree.
The reviewers recommended that the program
continue to focus on production agriculture, but
suggested several changes. One was that both the
Short Course and degree programs eliminate some
classes to reduce duplication. There was also a
change in admission standards. Since its inception
the program had maintained an open admission
policy; no applicant was turned away. As standards
for the university’s degree program became more
rigorous, Short Course took a step in the same direction. Beginning in fall 1996, applicants in the
upper 80 percent of their high school class were admitted automatically, while those in the bottom 20
percent were admitted on probation if they furnished acceptable letters of recommendation and
personal statements. Probationary students must
earned a first-term GPA of at least 2.00 to stay in the
program — something that about half have been
able to accomplish.
Another change was the addition of an honors
program. Students earned honors credits by doing
extra work assigned by their instructors and received an honors certificate if 10 of their 20 required
credits were honors credits. Short Course also expanded its interim session from one week to two.
T
he Short Course dorms had several major improvements in the 1990’s. With about half of
the students now bringing computers to
Short Course, all rooms were wired for cable TV,
phones and internet. By late 2008 the room phones
were removed, unneeded in the era of cell phones,
and the hard-wired internet service was upgraded
to wireless. Windows were replaced and high-efficiency lighting was installed, and the Jorns basement conference room got an upgrade. In 2000, all
rooms were furnished with stackable wooden fur-
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niture and most were converted to double rooms.
By this point, both Humphrey and Jorns halls had
one floor reserved for women students.
The Short Course dorms are used for more than
just Short Course. About 40 degree students occupy
them during the school year, and 40–60 overflow
students from residence halls are housed there temporarily in early fall. In summer, the dorms house
students from the six-week Midwest Poultry
Consortium and other summer programs as well as
visiting faculty and graduate students. Mary Vance,
who has served for many years as an adept reservation manager, ensures their full occupancy.
The increasing costs of higher education continue
to be a concern for students pursuing post-high
school education. Short Course tuition is tied to undergraduate tuition, which has increased. In 1984,
Short Course tuition for in-state residents was
$532.50; in 2009-10 it is $3,467.50, nearly a 600 percent increase in 25 years. Dorm costs are up as well,
from $500 in 1984 to share a triple room, to $900 in
2010 for a bed in a double room.
Fortunately, Short Course scholarships have also
increased, from $26,000 in 1in 1984 to over $130,000
awarded in 2008-09, thanks to donations from many
generous individuals, businesses and industry
groups. But the rise in tuition continued to outstrip
the increase in scholarships. In 2007-08, director
Daluge persuaded the state to change the provisions
of the Huber Loan Fund to allow much larger loans
and to let half of the fund’s annual earnings be used
for scholarships. This boosted scholarship support
by about $50,000 annually.
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Recruiting has also changed over the years. In
1985, the director and students presented a Short
Course slideshow at high schools. Since 1990, the
program has used three videos on DVDs for promotion. The videos were a bit expensive to produce, but the DVD was easy to mass copy and
distribute to prospective students, teachers, and
parents. Short Course Preview days, held 4–5 times
per year, became an excellent way to show the program in action to prospective students and their
parents. School visits, and displays at farm shows
and events remain mainstays of recruitment.
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n 2004 the program underwent another review,
this time at the request of Dean Elton Aberle.
The reviewers, led by professor David Kammel,
evaluated the sustainability of the current model
for teaching Short Course, from the perspective of
faculty and departments. The biggest concern was
that many courses formerly taught by faculty were
now taught by non-tenured academic staff and outside ad hoc faculty. The review team suggested
changes to the green industry curriculum, It also
suggested that more short course classes and degree classes be combined and offered to students
from both programs.
In October 2007, Richard Daluge retired as Short
Course director. He returned on an interim basis to
direct the program in 2007-08 until a new director
could be hired. As a result, Daluge served in the position for 25 years, longer than any other director in
the program’s history. Karen Knipschild, who had
worked for the program as a graduate assistant,
was hired as assistant director.
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n November 2008, Dean Molly Jahn and
Associate Dean Robert Ray appointed Ted
Halbach to serve as Director of the Short Course
on a 65 percent basis, while continuing as coach of
the dairy judging team and instructor of two dairy
science courses in the degree program.
As it entered the second decade of the new millennium, the Farm and Industry Short Course was
celebrating its history at the same time it was making plans for its future. The celebration of the 125th
anniversary of the Farm and Industry Short Course
on Jan. 30, 2010 was expected to be one of the
largest gatherings the program’s alumni ever. At
the same time, a new faculty task force, chaired by
plant pathology professor Murray Clayton, was ,
was convened to study the program’s business
model and academic schedule. The committee’s report will be submitted to the dean in March of 2010.
No doubt, many changes will occur as the Farm
and Industry Short Course proceeds into its second
century and continues its proud tradition of service to Wisconsin agriculture.
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PHOTOGRAPHS
Cover: Agricultural Hall
1.
Dean W. A. Henry, College of Agriculture
2.
Short Course students arrive on campus.
3.
Stephen M. Babcock (right) with Dean W. A.
Henry (left) and UW President Thomas C.
Chamberlin gather around the original milk
tester, about 1918.
4.
R. A. Moore, director 1893-1906
5.
Dean Harry L. Russell, College of Agriculture
6.
College of Agriculture Dean Chris I. Christensen
(seated on table) and Short Course Director V. E.
Kivlin with students
7.
Earl J. Cooper, director 1920-21
8.
1932 Short Course faculty and students
9.
Short Course dining hall
11. Little “I”, 1930
12. John R. Barton, director 1943-45
C O U R S E
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T h a n k Yo u S p o n so r s
o f t h e Farm & Industry Short Course
1 2 5 t h Reunion
Chancellor’s Club
Dean’s Club
13. Agriculture College Dean E. B. Fred
14. J. Frank Wilikinson (right) director 1946-68 talks
with Short Course alumnus Peter Senn (left) and
prospective students Dale Grahl, George O’Brien
and Pat O’Brien.
15. Dean. R. K. Froker, College of Agriculture
16. Little “I”, 1930
17. 75th Anniversary Stage Show
18. Agricultural engineer Marshall Finner, director of
experimental farms, with a class in 1960.
19. Maurice E. White, director 1968-83
20. CALS Dean Glenn S. Pound
21. A poultry class in the 1970s
22. Agriculture Hall
Director’s Club
23. Humphrey and Jorns Halls
ABS Global
24. Richard Daluge, director 1983-2008
ANIMART
25. CALS Dean Leo Walsh
26. Arlin Brannstrom teaching in the computer lab
27. Short Course students in entomology class
28. ????
29. Weed identification in class
30. Ron Shuler teaching in the Ag Engineering lab
31. Dairy cattle judging by Short Course students
32. CALS Dean Molly Jahn
33. Theodore J. Halbach, director 2008-present
34. caption?????
Cattle Connection
David A. Rhoda, DVM
East Central/Select sires
Larson Acres
M&I Bank
Nasco
Vita Plus Corporation
We Energies
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Wisconsin State Farmer
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