Approved Minutes of the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education
State Board of Agricultural Research and
Education
Minutes – August 31, 2004
Peace Garden Room, NDSU Memorial Union
–
The State Board of Agricultural Research and
Education met in the Peace Garden Room at the NDSU Memorial Union beginning at
10:00 a.m. on August 31, 2004.
Members present were: Ole
Aarsvold, Tom Archbold, Bob Bahm, Keith Bjerke (for Joseph Chapman), Randy
Christmann, Jerry Doan, Jerry Effertz, Ed Goerger, Carol Goodman, Ken Grafton,
Duane Hauck, Rodney Howe, Patricia Jensen, and Jeff Weispfenning (for Roger
Johnson).
Minutes of the June 29 meeting were approved as distributed.
Patricia Jensen talked about her plans to retire as Vice President and Dean of
Agriculture on December 31, and announced that she intends to continue work
with NDSU food safety/food security programs after December.
Jerry Doan acknowledged Jensen for her commitment to the success of SBARE,
indicating she spent many hours and worked through many challenges over the
years to help with the establishment and success of the board.
Ken Grafton shared copies of a strategic planning summary, discussed the recent
news article about charges for research fees at NDSU, provided a report of
expenditures/receipts for North Dakota commodities, indicated an OMB budget
hearing will be held sometime in September, and stated that he and Duane Hauck
have visited with many legislators and commodity representatives statewide over
the past months to promote the needs-based budget and talk about importance of
research and extension.
Duane Hauck provided a summary of the extension strategic plan and shared
information available on the NDSU Extension website relative to coping with
late and frost-damaged crops.
Grafton told SBARE that he needed their approval to distribute operating funds
from the biotechnology and livestock systems initiatives. Ed Goerger moved to approve distribution
of funds as appropriate. Randy
Christmann seconded the motion, which passed.
Tom Archbold distributed copies of potential organizational changes for NDSU
Agriculture and indicated that President Chapman has a strong interest in
agriculture and wants to maintain its strong presence across the state. Archbold added that with Vice President
Jensen’s retirement announcement, President Chapman plans to review the
current organizational structure.
Board members discussed the proposed structures and comments included:
Effertz:
Note the importance of joint assignment between research, teaching and
extension.
Doan: Consider importance of the
relationship the Vice President currently has with the academic piece.
Howe: Concern about creating
competition between research and extension.
Bjerke: Remember that President
Chapman has no mandate for change.
Bahm: Allow for growth in extension
to meet changing needs across the state.
Bjerke: Consider increasing
activities of continuing education and the advantages to rural
Goodman: Include input from the
state’s producers and commodity leaders.
Grafton: Discussions have taken
place with department chairs, research extension directors, and extension
leadership team, but no discussions there have been no talks with commodity
groups to date.
Doan: No matter was the structure
is, it is important for agriculture to stay strong.
Christmann: ND Stockmen’s
Association has contacted him and expressed an interest in the process. Elimination of a position would increase
the workload for directors and may become unmanageable.
Howe: Questions SBARE’s
involvement in the decision making process and is interested in the scope of
board responsibilities.
Effertz: Believes the state wants a
strong presence of agriculture in
Following a lunch break, the board reconvened and continued discussions on
organizational structure within NDSU Agriculture. Archbold asked others, including meeting
attendees, to comment on the potential organizational structures.
Dave Lambert, chair of agribusiness and applied economics, spoke on behalf of
department chairs and said that overall they favored the first option where the
dean’s responsibilities are moved from vice president for agriculture to
NDAES director. He added that a
vice president needs to have time to move agriculture forward, focusing on the
big picture. Al Schneiter added
that it is important to maintain a vice president and not to diminish the
importance of agriculture.
Jim Venette, associate dean for academic programs, talked about the importance
of the academic component and suggested the best model would be a separate dean
and director. He indicated the
academic piece is critical and creates a tremendous workload alone.
Les Backer, chair of agricultural and biosystems engineering, stated that
people need to be considered to be an investment and it is critical to continue
to support a vice president for agriculture.
Patricia Berglund, director of the Northern Crops Institute, stressed the need
to have agriculture represented at higher levels.
Vice President Patricia Jensen indicated it is very difficult to serve as both
vice president and dean because there are so many responsibilities and events
to attend.
Becky Koch, director of agriculture communication, asked the board to look at
all of university outreach and consider the opportunity to make progressive
changes.
Paul Nyren, director of the
Blaine Schatz, director of the
Tim Faller, director of the
Ken Odde, chair of animal and range sciences, indicated a vice president is
needed to ensure that NDSU agriculture stays strong and he feels the current
structure is the best.
Ken Odde updated SBARE on the Beef Systems Center of Excellence, stating goals
of creating economic development, strengthening research and providing
education. He told board members
the group continues to work on fund raising and needs to establish a private
partner. He added there is still
more work to do, but progress is being made.
Bill Wilson, professor of agribusiness and
applied economics and co-director for the
Ken Grafton announced that nine proposals
from agriculture were submitted for consideration for the Governor
Hoeven’s Centers of Excellence
initiative.
Organizational structure discussions continued and for purposes of moving
forward, Jerry Doan made a motion to drop options 2, 3, and 4 from
consideration. Ed Goerger seconded
the motion and following a brief discussion, the motion passed.
Board members discussed ag administrative
position responsibilities and workloads, after which Rodney Howe made a motion
that SBARE go on record in support of option 1 of the proposed agriculture
organizational charts and suggests additional consideration be given for a
separate dean if responsibilities are too great for a single dean and
director. Jerry Effertz seconded
the motion which passed, with Tom Archbold opposed.
The meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
Recorded by Margaret Olson
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