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Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 28, 2004 outcomes. Student enrollment is expected to double in ten years. The College is fortunate to have acreage to plan out the usage of the space. The Educational Master Plan was updated two years ago and is now being reviewed for currency. The Horticulture and Viticulture and Winery Technology sections are being reviewed and expanded. G. Majors Faire (October 18) and Senior and Parents Night (October 27) Dr. Ely announced that the Majors Fair was held October 18 th . It was well attended; Jacquie Williams-Courtright participated. Ron Liljedahl reported that many students stopped, student feedback was positive and there was lots of interest. Senior and Parent Night was held the previous evening. In attendance were high school seniors and their parents from Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin and Sunol. They were given an overview of the College with breakout sessions where they learned more about specific disciplines. There were more than 400 in attendance. H. Report to the Board by Ron Liljedahl Ron Liljedahl reported to the Board that the VWT 12 class is interesting to teach and covers subjects he is familiar with. There are 45 interesting students, including a cellar master, 3-4 students with significant acreage, some with 100- 200 vines, and some that plan to plant 50 vines. A small number of students from the horticulture program are interested in the VWT program and are enthusiastic about it. As the instructor, Ron learns with the students. So far, he has had one guest speaker; Michael Princevalle gave a presentation about soils. He reported that the College president’s husband is in the class, as they co-own several acres in Brentwood. Ron is looking for guests to speak about fertilizers and irrigation. Sblend Sblendorio suggested that Ron call Mike Wanless, who works for Sterling in Napa. He also referred Ron to Ken Kupperman (925-766-3679). Ron reported on his recent activities, which include a booth at the Home and Garden Show and participation at the Alameda County Fair. He has a good group of students and enrollments are good, except for the Plant ID class, which has been offered every semester for the last four years. He expects that enrollments will also be good in the spring semester. Earl Ault noted that one of his employees is taking Ron’s class and invited Ron to bring his class to their winery; Sblend Sblendorio also invited them to his vineyard. I. Viticulture Program Update Dr. Ely noted that Ron Liljedahl and David Everett are the inaugural instructors for the VWT program and are largely responsible for how well the program is being received. Feedback on both classes has been good and they have both gotten off to a good start. Page 4
Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 28, 2004 Dr. Ely invited David to speak to the Advisory Board about his class. David reported that he thought it was a “brilliant” idea to offer the Food and Wine Pairing class as the first in the program. His students are very interested, are having fun, and he expects at least half of them to take the VWT 44 class in the spring. When asked how often VWT 45 would be offered, David said he thought it was a good idea to offer it once in a while; Dr. Ely said that it may be offered again in Spring 06. David said that teaching VWT 45 is challenging because food and wine pairing is subjective; he noted that the wine knowledge of his students is improving. He noted that an exhibition kitchen would be a fine “classroom” for the class. He is looking forward to the next class. Dr. Ely added that there were 25 students who wanted to add the class the first night. It was asked if there are plans for a vineyard on campus. Dr. Ely explained that it is in the Master Plan and it was part of the Bond. One of the ideas was that half of the vineyard would be for production of both white and red wines. Half of the vineyard would be used every semester for practicing skills, teaching about irrigation, planting vines, and other reoccurring hands-on activities. Sblend was interested in how specific David’s classes would be. For example, would they focus on Bordeaux or a particular region He wanted to know what the students wanted. David answered that it is difficult to speak to some subjects in general terms. He would like to bring students’ wine knowledge up to higher levels. Dr. Ely informed the Advisory Board that Ron Liljedahl has announced his retirement, effective at the end of the current academic year. Dr. Ely anticipates going out this spring to hire a full-time instructor to teach viticulture, enology, and horticulture classes. This will allow the College to offer more than two VWT courses per semester. He noted that it is important that the full-time instructor oversee the on-campus development of a teaching vineyard and be a liaison to the community. There will be a time when we will need someplace for students to get hands-on experience in the community. The faculty person will also help to build a relationship with Friends of the Vineyards, the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, and local wineries. Dr. Ely has consulted with Steve Krebs, the VWT coordinator at Napa Valley College, who hired a similar faculty member four years ago, who was able to make recommendations for the job announcement and trade publications in which to advertise the position. During this transition time, Dr. Ely explained that we will need adjunct instructors in horticulture. Although the new instructor will teach some horticulture classes to keep that program functioning on campus, there will be a need for adjunct faculty also. Dr. Ely asked that if board members know of anyone who might be interested in teaching part-time, that they let him know. Page 5
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