A3O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 13, 1996 Penn State Ag Sciences College Needs More From State VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences needs more money from the stale to keep born continuing its decline of staff and services, University President Graham Spanier said recently. Spanier was one of several speakers who addressed a group of more than 200 people attending the 20th annual meeting of the Pen nsylvania Council of Cooperative Extension Associations (PCCEA), held April 2 *at the Nittany Lion Inn, State College. Spanier said that Gov. Tom Ridge’s proposal to increase sate funding for the College of Agricul tural Sciences by 2 percent each for extension and research is appreciated, given the fact that almost all other sate spending is proposed for some cuts. However, the request for sate funding by Spanier was for an 11.4-percent increase for each of the two budget line items. Spanier said a S-percent increase would maintain existing levels of staff and programs. Because of unfunded, yet feder ally mandated spending, the uni versity will actually continue to lose its financial strength and abili ty to retain saff and services at the 2-percent increase level of sate funding Gov. Ridge has proposed. According to a position paper distributed at the meeting, “Excluding the possibility of sal ary increases, we still face man dated increases in fringe benefits, inflationary costs, and federal base funding at 1.5 percent less this year than the previous year. “At least S percent more in sate dollars would be needed just to maintain the College’s operations at the existing level and avoid further personnel reductions. “A probable decrease in federal funds for the next fiscal year, beginning in October 1996, will further mode the College’s finan cial base.” In recent yean, state support to the college has been continually decreasing. State funding to the College of A LESSON WELL LEARNED... LANCASTER FARMING'S CLASSIFIED ADS GET RESULTS! Agriculture began a steady decline for eight years under Gov. Robert Casey. The 11.4 percent increase in funding was an attempt to recov er some of those losses. During Casey’s reign, the Col lege of Agricultural Sciences dis pursed of its herds of colored breed cattle, sheep and some other ani mals, reduced extension staff sig nificantly, giving multi-county responsibilities to many agents who specialize in certain areas of expertise, as well as cutting back on other projecu. But over the past 10 years, the College has also had to improve facilities to continue to attract and mainain its students. It spent about SS2 million in upgrading facilities such as the research farms and building new poultry and dairy reseach facilities. Those expenses were deemed necessary to modernize the Col lege’s facilities in order to keep its educational competitiveness and integrity. Despite the cutbacks, new tech nology has allowed the College to mainain or increase its quality of educational offerings and com munity outreach. • But technology can no longer be expected to make up for continued losses of funding and Spanier called upon the members of the PCCEA to do what they can to communicate the message to the general public. The PCCEA is an organization comprised of county extension boards. Currently all 67 county boards are members at a cost of $125 per year. After realizing a need during the earlier 19705, and forming an ad hoc committee in 1975, the PCCE- A was formed in 1976 as a support organization for extension prog rams in the sate. It’s main goal has been to provide a concerted voice to support the sale’s extension program. hi literature, the organization describes its five puiposes: • To represent county extension boards in communicating their needs to administration. • To provide guidance and advice to Penn State so that ex ten- AGI-POAAPr| sion will function most effectively to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania. • To develop communications between the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and the council concerning its resources. • To speak to county boards in matters dealing with sate or national concerns affecting cooperative extension. • To keep the public informed of the nature and function of coopera tive extension and to promote and support its programs and policies. Other speakers at the annual meeting intended James Starling, interim dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, who gave a general address about the sate of affairs for the College and Exten sion; Benjamin Nolt Jr., an Exten sion assisant in the Department of Agriculture and Extension Educa tion, who provided a brief over view of the goals of the 4-H exten sion program and its hands-on learning and skill development approach; and Michelle Rodgers, assisant regional director for the Extension’s Southeast Region, who talked about the benefits of Extension in community affairs and in helping families through educational services and individu al help. Along with 210 PCCEA mem bers who attended the meeting, 25 county commissioners also were present County commissioners are encouraged to attend the meeting to find out more about the group and some of the challenges that face Extension. County government has played a major role in supporting county Extension programs, which were created and continue to operate to provide hands-on educational ser RENTAL SERVICE FLOAT-A-COW with the Aqua-Cow Rise System Get that down cow up on her feet with warm water therapy. Warm water aupplled. SERVING LEBANON & WESTERN BERKS COUNTIES HUBER’S ANIMAL HEALTH SUPPLIES 810 TUlpahockan Rd., Mytratown, PA 717-866-2246 Mon., Thun. & Fri. 7:30 AM to 8 PM •Rim. A Wod. 7:30 AM to 8 PM; St 7:30 to Noon vices, reference sources and direc tion to those seeking self improvement in skills or knowledge. In his talk, Interim Dean Star ling said the College is going through a transition and is not as strong as he would like it to be, because of die cutbacks. However, he said that he was proud of what the College does have to offer. Citing a former dean who became president of the Kellog Foundation, Starling said that it has been observed flat the future of all colleges and universities will depend upon their responsiveness to, and interaction with, the com munity for which it is to serve. “That's what Extension has been doing,” he said. He gave many examples of how Extension has been helping indivi duals ami businesses ami commun ities, such as promoting and pro viding support and expertise with conservation tillage, manure man agement, integrated pest manage* ment, and other critical issues to the community that helps make communities and people self sufficient and improve the quality of their lives. He talked about how IPM edu cational support helped reduce pesticide use by 80 percent in Mer cer County without reducing crop yields; how Palmyra Bologna Co. sought and received help to deve lop a strong working Hazard Criti cal Control Program (HCCP) in response to a problem experienced in food quality; and how Extension helped develop a Teens and Greens program in Pittsburgh that provides an opportunity for troubled youth to gain self* confidence and develop a trusting community relationship through a street-tree care program that was able continue into a flowers and vegetable growing program after funding dried up. Starling also noted the SS satel lite downlink sites already installed across the state through Extension and the other sites set to be installed. Starling also talked about the tenuous position the College is in with funding. “It is probably die most critical now,” he said, noting that since 1991 funding for the college has been flat or decreased. In that time the college lost 160 positions at counties and at Uni versity Park, the Penn State main campus. He said it has had a negative impact “Despite the quality (of educational opportunities and sup port to the community the College) is slowly bleeding to death,” he said. Starling said that Spanier under stands this and has been fighting to secure enough funding support to stem the flow. The graduated and undergradu ate student body .is strong at 3,200, a S-percent increase Over last year and a 52-pcrccni increase since 1990. The college has the largest undergraduate student body in the Big 10 and is continuing to-grow. The College has a scholarship program totallying $700,000 cov- (Turn to Page A3l)
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