January 14 – Prairie View A&M University College of Agriculture and Human Sciences students will return to campus to start the Spring 2019 semester focused and ready to take on new goals. Thanks to the productive College-Wide Meeting held on January 9th, this energy will be matched by the faculty, staff, and supporters of the college which discussed plans to make this year great.
CAHS, Cooperative Extension Program, Cooperative Agricultural Research Center, and the Bill and Vara Daniels Farm faculty and staff met to review the previous semester’s accomplishments and share goals to achieve in this new year. The Fall 2018 semester brought many new additions to CAHS including the new Executive Director, Rosemary Cook. Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs, Dr. Gerard D’Souza, introduced Cook who shared her excitement of getting started and making some changes in the college. “We have a lot of work to do, and there are a lot of challenges. The glass is half full, not empty. I am here to help you, and I am here as a support, and I’m definitely the backbone of
[Dean D’Souza].”
Throughout the meeting, representatives from each area of the college presented progress reports from the previous semester and their plans to continue doing more significant things. CAHS Associate Director for Academic Programs and Department Head, Dr. Kwaku Addo announced that five faculty members are on track for tenure and will soon reach those positions. He also shared the new degree programs going into effect in upcoming semesters and the recent success of the Registered Dietician Program with four out of five students passing the exam last semester.
CAHS Executive Associate Director for Extension, Dr. Carolyn Williams, detailed the tremendous work underway in Cooperative Extension. In 2018, many educational events and programs were put on in 35 counties across the state by all branches of CEP including Agriculture & Natural Resources, Family & Community Health, Community & Economic Development, and 4-H & Youth Development. The Cooperative Agriculture Research Center also had a very successful semester after garnering more than $1.9 million in USDA/NIFA/CBG grants with another $750,000 in grants funded by other agencies. CARC has since applied and is in the pending stage for another $6 million in grants for the upcoming year.
In addition to these departments, updates and plans from DOMCiT, Fiscal Operations, and the Bill and Vara Daniel Farm were shared as well from their respective representatives. Dean D’Souza hopes with all of the recent progress the college has made in the various branches; we will be able to obtain a one to one match from the Texas A&M System Board of Regents.
Dean D’Souza closed out the meeting by challenging everyone to make good on his sole initiatives: building the team; building the college; and, building relationships. The many changes happening in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences are all to bring agriculture back to the forefront of the university. Faculty, staff, and students are on board and ready to make the Spring 2019 semester one of productivity and advancement for the betterment of the college and the communities it serves.
This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 1890 Extension Formula Program projects under Section 1444.
Photo Credit: Crystal Talley Thompson
Taelor Smith
Communications Specialist
tasmith@pvamu.edu
(936) 261 5155