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CSU, Chico UpdateBy Sarah DeForestAnother year of learning, opportunity, and growth is under way at CSU, Chico. With record enrollments in the College ofAgriculture, new facilities on campus, and new programs and products to complement existing ones, this year promises to be oneof our best.Outreach and EnrollmentDespite campus- and system-widecutbacks, enrollmentin the College of Agriculturegrew by 10 percent in 2010,reaching a record enrollmentof 439 for the fall semester.Much of that growth is in theCrops, Horticulture and LandResource Management option,which saw a 30 percent increasein enrollment due to targetedefforts to recruit students intothe plant sciences field in orderto meet industry demandfor those graduates.Additional growth is takingplace in our new B.S. in animalscience, which took effect thisyear. Previously, animal sciencewas an option under theagriculture major.Ag AmbassadorsAs the university motto suggests,“Today Decides Tomorrow,”a team of 63 agricultureambassadors have signed upto spend the year deciding howbest to promote the College ofAgriculture. Through variousoutreach events within California,the ambassadors workto recruit and retain studentsfor Chico State agriculture.Ambassadors visit highschools and community collegesto network with prospectivestudents about opportunitiesin agriculture at ChicoState.Further emphasizing thefamily atmosphere of the college,the first item on the ambassadors’agenda was a fallretreat held at recent alumnaHallie Muller’s family farm,Full Belly Farms in Guinda. Aquick glance into the upcomingyear and it’s likely ambassadorswill be seen assisting inevents such as Sierra-Oro PassportWeekend, Hall of HonorReception, Butte County’sFarm-City Celebration, ChicoAg Unplugged!, Ag TransferTeacher Educator NewsDespite campus- and system-widecutbacks, enrollment in the College ofAgriculture grew by 10 percent in 2010Tours, and high school andcommunity college visits.Recruitment EventsChico Ag Unplugged! is anew event designed especiallyfor high school agriculture students(replacing OpportunityDay). Friday, October 15 willbe an exciting, action-packedday designed to let studentssee what the “Chico Experience”is all about and motivatethem to strive for higher education.They will interact withcollege students and facultymembers, tour campus, visitthe Wildcat Recreation Centerand classrooms, and take partin hands-on lab activities at ourUniversity Farm.Additionally, they’ll learnabout the steps they need totake to get here. As budgetstighten, and the admissionsprocess becomes stricter, it iscrucial that students start planningfor their future well beforethey graduate.Registration will be open forthe first 200 students to signup after September 15. Theevent will run from 9 a.m.-2:45p.m. and there will be a $5 perstudent charge to cover lunch.Teachers can reserve spotsfor their students afterSeptember 15 by e-mailingagoutreach@csuchico. edu.Ag Transfer Tours will beheld on Friday, October 1 andhas been designed with thetransfer student in mind. It willinclude campus and farm toursand a chance to interact withfaculty members in their programarea. Students will attenda workshop covering admissionspolicies, course articulationsand advising tips.4The event will run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and be free of charge.Students can reserve a spot bye-mailing agoutreach@csuchico.edu.AG*IDEAAs we continually lookingfor ways to enhance the academicprograms we offer, wehope that in the next year ortwo, we’ll be able to offer anonline master’s of agriculturaleducation through a consortiumto which we belongknown as AG*IDEA. Membersof this consortium are amongthe premier research institutionsin the country, such asNorth Carolina State University,Kansas State Universityand University of Missouri.These universities offer onlinecourses to members ofAG*IDEA so that member institutionscan increase programsthey offer without havingto hire additional faculty.Membership in theAG*IDEA Consortium willhelp us make it possible toserve agricultural educationstudents and credentialedteachers who want to pursue amaster’s degree from the convenienceof their home and at apace that may fit better in theirprofessional schedules thanthat of a full-time student.We are working on an aggressivetimetable for approvalthis year through the campus,the Chancellor’s Office and theWestern Association of Schoolsand Colleges (WASC) systems,respectively.New Residence HallFor the third year in a row,students returning to campusin the fall were greeted with abrand new building. The fivestorySutter Hall will house 220student residents plus a newdining complex to replace thedining facility at neighboringWhitney Hall. Sutter Hall isthe latest new construction oncampus, joining the GatewayScience Museum, whichopened earlier this year next toBidwell Mansion; the popular109,000-square-foot WildcatRecreation Center, whichopened in 2009; and the StudentServices Center on thecorner of 2nd and WarnerStreets, which opened in 2008.Entrepreneurial Focus atUniversity FarmIn a move to introduce conceptsof entrepreneurialismand niche marketing to our students,the University Farm isexpanding its line of productsavailable directly to consumerswith the introduction ofChico State Olive Oil and ChicoState Beans, as well as a newstudent-run pasture-raised eggproject.The olive oil is the result ofthe first harvest and pressingof olives from a UC cold hardinesstrial that is planted on thefarm. The “unfiltered fieldblend” is sold in 250 mL bottlesfor $10 per bottle. Also new are10-pound bags of dry CranberryBeans and Yellow Beansavailable for $10 per bag. Thepasture-raised, free range eggproject is the result of a student-fundedgrant through theAssociated Students SustainabilityFund.The olive oil, beans and eggsjoin a growing list of ChicoState University Farm productsavailable for sale to the public,including walnuts, producefrom the Organic VegetableProject, and jerky, sausage andfresh meats at the UniversityFarm Meats Lab. In late Au-(Continued on page 5)