AGNR Strategic Plan

Last updated: September 7, 2006

Previous updated: May 23, 2006

Mission-Values-Vision Statement

Our Mission

The Mission of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is to develop knowledge and human capacity among citizens of Maryland, the mid-Atlantic region, and the world. We are committed to benefiting society by:

Offering exemplary teaching programs that advance lifelong learning of students, both on and off campus;
Conducting internationally-renowned research about agriculture, food and nutrition, biotechnology, natural resources and environment, and families, youth and communities; and
Coordinating outstanding extension/outreach efforts that engage individuals, groups, and communities to improve the quality of life in Maryland and globally.

Our Values and Expectations

In our college, we value and respect:

The land-grant mission of integrating research, teaching, and extension/outreach;
Learning;
Academic integrity;
Human diversity;
Teamwork and collaboration;
Continuous improvement; and
Local, regional, and global perspectives.

Our Vision

As a premier land-grant college in an increasingly urbanized state, we will benefit society by furthering economically and environmentally sound practices improving our citizens' quality of life, advancing health, agriculture, and food safety, strengthening our communities, and being wise stewards of our natural resources and environment.

Strengths-Challenges- Opportunities Statement

An assessment of our strengths, challenges, and opportunities provides insights into the environment in which we operate and the alternatives before us.

Our Strengths

The College has begun the new millennium as a confident, capable and creative institution eager to provide excellence in teaching, extension/outreach, and research.

The impressive profile of our students, both undergraduate and graduate, is a source of optimism, and the College's programs now attract some of the most talented and gifted students from around the world.
The College is developing programs that rank among the best in the country and world, reflecting the strength of our faculty, staff, and students.
Our diverse and talented staff is enthusiastic and committed to excellence, making the College a welcoming, productive environment in which to work and learn.
We continue to recruit and retain outstanding faculty who have earned national and international reputations for excellence in their fields and dedication to their professions.
Because of its long-term involvement in environment issues related to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, the College is considered a national and international leader in the field of environmental science and policy.
The College continues to be a leader of the university in the number of licensing technologies resulting from research supported by the Agricultural Research Station and external grants.
Many College buildings have been constructed or renovated during the past 15 years, providing state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities.
The College’s 24 Extension/Outreach offices, 10 research and education centers, and the Maryland 4-H Youth Development Center provide resources for research and educational programming throughout the state, providing citizens unparalleled access to the resources of the College, the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
The College's location provides students and faculty with unique access to public-policy makers, national research laboratories, libraries, agencies, and networks, as well as offering exciting opportunities for exploring issues related to the urban-rural interface.
The College Alumni Association is among the strongest in the University System of Maryland, providing a network of alumni and friends to call upon for support and counsel.
The exceptional teaching and mentoring abilities of College faculty are recognized at the university and national and international levels.
The College is actively engaged in teaching, research, and extension/outreach in the land-grant tradition. For example, the College serves as a model laboratory for faculty, staff, and students for exploring and learning how to integrate disciplines, approaches, and programs to solve critical problems.

Our Challenges

Although the College is experiencing a period of growth and recognition, there are threats to our progress that could prevent us from achieving our vision. For example, some challenges, such as the state of the local, national and world economy, are external to the College but could exert a negative impact on our programs and goals. Although the perceptions of our programs are rapidly changing, the stereotype of AGNR as a College working on outdated issues still persists. Through constant education of our peers, this challenge is well within our domain to change. Failure to overcome these changes will impede our progress. By identifying our vulnerabilities, we can anticipate problem areas and not only overcome them but use them as opportunities for the College to grow and develop.

As Maryland becomes increasingly urbanized, we must increase efforts to find solutions to agricultural and natural resource problems - solutions that support and sustain the state's agricultural and natural resource industries - while at the same time protecting our environment.
Reflecting the urbanization of the state, we need to find ways to recruit top-quality students from areas of the State not traditionally familiar with agriculture and natural resources.
As state support for higher education has diminished over time, we need new partnerships and new sources of financial support to be able to continue to create high-quality academic programs, expand research efforts, and strengthen our extension/outreach efforts.
Due to the rich diversity of our metropolitan area, our college needs to use that diversity to our advantage in recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students.
Because of our area’s high cost of living, adequate financial compensation for staff and faculty is essential for us to be competitive with our peer institutions if we are to recruit and retain the most highly qualified employees.
We need to substantially increase our financial support so we can maintain the necessary infrastructure to conduct quality research and educational programs, and remove economic barriers, which impedes talented undergraduate students' ability to enroll or remain in college.
We need to increase our efforts to globalize the College through student and faculty exchanges, technical assistance to countries when appropriate, and quality academic programs that broaden faculty and students' understanding of the world.
If we are to retain the 150-year tradition of our three-fold mission of teaching, discovery, and extension/outreach, the College needs to accelerate efforts to promote the relevance and understanding of the land-grant institution within the university, the state, the nation, and the world.
The college needs to market and showcase the cutting edge nature of its work and its relevance to the economic development of the State.

Our Opportunities

The growing recognition of the University of Maryland and the College, in particular, as premier learning institutions; and society's increased interest in the environment, the security of food production, and consuming safe-quality food all offer the College exciting opportunities to demonstrate leadership during the decade ahead.

The College, through its leadership and programs, can show the university how to become a more fully-engaged model of a 21st century land-grant university in a region undergoing rapid urbanization.
Through new partnerships and innovative programs, the College has the opportunity to better integrate the research and educational centers, the Maryland 4-H Youth Development Center, and 24 cooperative extension/outreach offices across the state within the total spectrum of University of Maryland programs.
By capitalizing on our strengths including our unique location, our knowledge base, teaching, extension/outreach capacity, the College can contribute to the scientific justification for sustainable agricultural production in environmentally sensitive regions in Maryland, across the country, and throughout the world.
Because of our geographic proximity to federal laboratories and institutions, our college has a strategic advantage in emerging areas related to food security, and animal and plant biosecurity.
The University and the College's increased reputation of excellence can provide new opportunities for attracting diverse, talented faculty, staff, and students.
Through investment in information technology and faculty/staff training, the College can expand and strengthen its ability to deliver quality educational programs to students, both on campus and off.
To improve our problem-solving abilities, we can increase our collaborations with colleagues within and outside the system, public and private organizations, advisory groups, local communities, and alumni and strengthen and further develop our linkages with other countries.
Through fostering greater interface between field Extension/Outreach faculty and campus-based faculty, we can capitalize on our unique ability to bring real-world problems to the classroom.

Initiative 1:

Elevate the quality of education for all learners by creating a challenging and enriching learning experience

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has always placed a high value on life-long learning, a fundamental concept of the land-grant mission. Our student-centered approach to learning, our promotion of high quality instruction, and our emphasis on positive student-teacher interactions reflect our respect for the learner. Our academic programs are designed to fully immerse learners in diverse areas of study including: animal and plant biology; biotechnology, conservation and renewal of natural resources; bio-diversity; soil science and water quality; environmental science and policy; the aesthetic beauty of urban and rural communities; landscape design and management; sustainable food production; human nutrition, food science and food systems safety and security; and animal health, welfare, and management. In addition to a broad range of degree programs, the College offers professional and non-formal educational programs throughout the state, which enrich the learning environment and provide learners the opportunity to engage in educational experiences that can improve the world in which they live and work.

Through the efforts of outstanding staff and faculty committed to scholarship and creating a stimulating and nurturing learning environment, the College has developed nationally recognized programs that attract students of the highest caliber. Constant innovation and relevance in a real world context is an integral part of our vision for academic programs. Research, internships and experiential-learning opportunities are now an integral part of the curriculum. These opportunities add increased depth and breath to the overall educational experience and help prepare students for the challenges awaiting them in society. Our commitment to academic excellence has led to new and innovative programs in international agriculture, study-abroad opportunities, and integration of distance education technologies. Because our programs are designed to encourage life-long learning supported by faculty who are engaged in the community and focused on real problems, the College continues to attract some of Maryland’s, the nation’s, and the world’s brightest and most talented people. We will continue to create enriched educational experiences and extend them to all learners in the tradition of the land grant mission. The following strategic actions will continue to facilitate the expansion and maintenance of our vision:

Strategic Actions

Expand support for an innovative coordinated undergraduate curriculum.
Improve the quality of our existing teaching facilities.
Expand undergraduate student participation in internships including research activities that are guided by faculty mentors.
Enhance the quality of our teaching and the impact of mentoring by supporting teaching/learning strategies that are active, learner-centered, and collaborative.
Expand distance and distributed educational programs and increase the effective use of technology to enhance the educational goals for all learners, both on and off campus.
Continue to aggressively recruit academically-gifted undergraduate and graduate students who meet or exceed quality standards established by the University of Maryland.
Create incentives to aid in the recruitment of outstanding graduate students, including research assistants.
Increase the availability of financial assistance, both need-based and merit, for freshmen and transfer students.
Ensure that all undergraduates have the opportunity to broaden their perspective by participation in international educational experience.

Initiative 2:

Build a strong culture of excellence in research and scholarship

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has demonstrated research excellence in several areas, and many individual faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders within their disciplines. The College is a leader in patent development and technology transfer within the university. Yet, the College needs to develop more nationally- and internationally-recognized programs, and to recruit even more high-quality faculty, particularly those with National Academy-level standing. These actions will further the College’s goal of creating a culture of research excellence across its academic programs and departments.

Our location, which we are using to our advantage, enhances the ability of the College to shape and participate in decision-making processes associated with national policy in agriculture and natural resources. A wealth of opportunities also exists for enhancing and developing the College’s research programs because of its geographic proximity to federal institutions and biotechnology research facilities. Collaborative efforts with federal laboratories, such as those within USDA, FDA and NIH, provide excellent opportunities for enhancement, collaborative and cross-disciplinary research, and graduate education that are unique among land-grant universities. Our location directly within the Chesapeake Bay region also offers the College opportunities to further enhance its strong national and international research reputation in field of agricultural and environmental interaction. The College is uniquely poised to develop its research and scholarship programs through the following initiatives:

Strategic actions

Reallocate resources to facilitate creation of programs of excellence in research areas of expected growth and national needs.
Develop at least one program in each department that is nationally and internationally recognized for research excellence.
Increase the College’s capacity to conduct applied and developmental research by enhancing collaborative efforts between MCE field faculty and faculty within academic programs.
Add at least ten new faculty during the next three years in areas of national research needs (e.g., biotechnology, functional genomics, infectious diseases, bioinformatics, environmental protection, food safety and security, etc.)
Identify and cultivate prospects for creating endowed chairs, professorships and other incentives necessary to attract and retain faculty of National Academy-level status.
Initiate collaborative agreements with federal and other facilities for mutually beneficial research.
Increase our external funding totals at a rate of 15% per year.
Increase the quality and quantity of faculty publications.
Improve the visibility and stature of the College’s research programs within and outside the university.

Initiative 3:

Foster an inclusive and diverse community

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources comprises a wide range of disciplines and a wealth of different skills and abilities, united by shared interests. The College community, including students, staff and faculty, strives to reflect the diversity of the social environment around us in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, personality, cultural heritage and political persuasion. These differences represent a remarkable asset for the College, bringing new perspectives, fresh ideas and continued enthusiasm to bear on the ever-changing issues facing agriculture and natural resources.

The land-grant mission of education, scholarship and extension/outreach adds another dimension to the diversity of the College and University. In addition to discovering new knowledge, we also introduce this information to the world around us and apply the knowledge to help alleviate the world's problems. This difference in perspective held by campus-based academic faculty and the network of field-based extension/outreach faculty is to be applauded and encouraged. These different perspectives complement each other and benefit all within the College and the community.

The responding to the global nature of both agriculture and natural resource issues demands teamwork, collaboration and the celebration of diversity. The state of Maryland is a microcosm of diversity, with urban and rural populations; mountainous, piedmont and coastal plan ecosystems; and both new and established ethnic populations. Capturing the benefits of this diversity and fostering an inclusive community within the College are keys to our future. To achieve these goals, it is important to take the following steps:

Strategic Actions

Leverage the diversity within the community for recruiting, retention and improved mentoring of underrepresented faculty in all positions within the college.
Identify and implement new strategies for recruiting faculty and staff that are more reflective of populations we serve.
Provide leadership and mechanisms for identifying and supporting minority graduate students for future faculty positions.
Promote the shared interests and goals of the College both internally and externally to the populations we serve.
Expand audiences to be more reflective of state’s citizenry.
Increase the integration of education, scholarship and extension/outreach in the College.
Continue to encourage and reward interdisciplinary initiatives and collaboration between academic faculty and field faculty.

Initiative 4:

Strengthen extension/outreach and collaborative partnerships

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has always valued extension/outreach and collaborative partnerships as they are well grounded in our land-grant mission and tradition. The College has a long-standing tradition of partnering with various communities, organizations, and individuals to expand our knowledge base, develop practical information, transfer timely research information, and educate diverse audiences. The strength of the College is its interdisciplinary focus on research and educational extension/outreach with the university community. As such, a benchmark of the College lies in its efforts to extend scholarly information beyond the traditional academic community. Steeped in the tradition of its land-grant mission, Maryland Cooperative Extension and the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station are poised to accomplish the following: provide its expertise, partner with other colleges to expand their extension/outreach efforts, and educate key faculty and staff members within the university community about effective techniques for extension/outreach and outcome-based educational efforts.

Unique to the College within the state are the 24 field offices - one located in each of Maryland's counties and Baltimore City - regional research and education centers, and the Maryland 4-H Youth Development Center which relate directly to the university's land-grant status and mission. These offices and centers represent a major opportunity for the university to provide extension/outreach efforts to people of all ages and ethnicities in Maryland. These units provide the university a window to every citizen of Maryland.

Through its extension/outreach programs, the College has demonstrated that it is able to work on the practical problems of the day by developing collaborative partnerships with local communities. It is critical that the College support joint academic-community definitions of problems, solutions, and success. In the future this will take more than sharing knowledge and expertise with the communities we serve, it will mean engaging in mutually beneficial collaborations with a wide diversity of partners.

As stated in the Kellogg Commission Report ¹, "Universities and colleges can no longer be self-contained. Engagement asks us to learn how to open ourselves structurally to external influence while insisting that the world beyond the campus respect the imperatives of the university." The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources must strive to operate in a way that encourages learning among and between all partners and collaborators: students; faculty; staff; farmers; children, youth, families, and communities; business organizations and industry; nonprofit organizations; and governing agencies.

The list of urgent problems requiring attention in our society can be over- whelming and the list of potential areas for the College to be engaged in is endless; however, the College must commit time, attention, and resources to many problems in a variety of areas. The linking of research to practice and the application of knowledge to the greater community are unique contributions the College can make. The following strategic actions shall move us closer to achieving this vision:

Strategic Actions

Utilize our 24 Maryland Cooperative Extension off-campus offices, regional Research and Education Centers, and the Maryland 4-H Youth Development Center for life-long learning opportunities for Maryland citizens and as their window to UM, UMES and other land-grant institutions across the nation.
Strengthen collaborative partnerships within the college, and with other colleges at UM and UMES, emphasizing the extension/outreach component, and with other universities in the Maryland System.
Engage MCE to develop innovative methods to assist the University System in engaging broader and more diverse audiences, making extension/outreach a priority.
Increase the College's visibility among the state's high schools and community colleges.
Develop relevant, effective educational programs in agriculture, natural resources, sea grant, community leadership, youth development, and families using research-based information.
Develop and support at least 5 extension/outreach programs of national and internationally recognized excellence.
Increase the College's involvement with international partners through the expansion and development of teaching and research programs.

Initiative 5:

Build an infrastructure that fully supports excellence

To achieve excellence as a premier land-grant college, it is imperative that the College has a responsive and customer-oriented infrastructure that supports the work of our faculty, staff, and students. This infrastructure includes human resources, administrative systems and processes, facilities and technologies essential for seamless operations of an academic college with extensive field operations.

Because of its extension/outreach mission, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has locations for off-campus research and educational programming across Maryland. With some 500 field faculty and staff, these operations include county education centers, regional research and education centers, regional Veterinary Medicine College, research facilities, the state 4-H Center, Home and Garden Information Center and several other support units and locations on campus. Therefore, infrastructure development is more complex for AGNR as compared to other colleges within the University.

Life-long learning and integration of technology into the classroom represent important initiatives for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Integrating distance and distributed learning with existing instructional strategies broadly throughout the College represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in positioning distributed learning as a viable teaching and learning venue. Other challenges include administrative support systems, policies, technical infrastructure, and overall leadership.

The opportunities presented by distributed learning, however, far outweigh the challenges. Opportunities exist for increased enrollments, expanded extension/outreach, increased revenue, enhanced faculty development, increased use of technology in classrooms, extension/outreach of learning anytime, anyplace, greater relevancy in training programs for business and industry, and a virtual revolution in teaching and learning.

To support these innovations, it is essential that investments be made to address a number of critical infrastructure issues:

Strategic Actions

Initiate and implement a fully coordinated development strategy for the College incorporating alumni, students, faculty and staff with a goal to increase annual giving to $5,000,000 by 2010.
Develop a 20-year facility plan for the College reflecting current limitations and long-term goals.
Promote a strong "customer-first" orientation among all units to deliver the highest possible quality service to both internal and external clients through marketing and public relations.
Strengthen AGNR systems to support and increase efficiencies in business and finance, procurement, and human resource operations with a goal of reducing paper transactions by 75% in the next 3 years.
Review current operating budgets and staffing levels to facilitate long- and short-range goals.
Continued restructuring of existing Marketing & Media Services and Information Educational Technology unit to support increased efficiencies in distance learning, information technology, web-based services, educational media, and marketing and media relations.
Develop a plan to provide high speed internet connectivity to all college units including county research/education centers and offices within the next 3 years.
Enhance campus collaborations/partnerships to build support for extension/outreach mission. Work closely with Office of Instructional Technology, Office of Professional Studies and campus administration on all levels.
Implement policies and procedures to reward and sustain distributed learning initiatives.

¹ Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, February 1999. 41 pages.

For more information, contact Carstens, Loretta

Last updated: 09/12/2006