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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 1961, a new major in Agricultural
3Communications was formed within the General Education
4curriculum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
5then in 1966 became a 4-year curriculum; through a joint
6agreement, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications
7provided a core of professional courses for agricultural
8communications students; and
 
9    WHEREAS, In the late 1960s, a new Agricultural
10Communications Industry Advisory Committee was formed; members
11represented agricultural publications, broadcast stations,
12agricultural marketing firms, agricultural commodity and
13farmer organizations, and advertising and public relations
14firms that served agricultural clients; and
 
15    WHEREAS, By the 1970s, a strategic plan for the academic
16program resulted in development of 7 new agricultural
17communications courses; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The University of Illinois students collaborated
19with those from the University of Missouri and Iowa State
20University to lay the foundation for forming the national
21Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT); and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In the 1980s, the Agricultural Communications
2program launched several major international initiatives;
3through a new program for Agricultural Communications
4Education (PACE), University of Illinois personnel worked with
5colleagues at universities in Indonesia, Philippines,
6Australia, Pakistan, and the West Indies to plan and strengthen
7academic programs in this field of interest; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Agricultural Communications faculty members
9helped form a new interdisciplinary International Program for
10Agricultural Knowledge Systems (INTERPAKS) within the College
11of Agriculture; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Academic programs and faculty
13members in Agricultural Communications, Agricultural
14Education, and Extension Education became part of a new
15Department of Human and Community Development in a restructured
16College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, In the early 2000s, there was an erosion of
19Agricultural Communications faculty and staff positions due to
20budget squeezes, unfortunate timing, programmatic decisions
21and organizational restructuring, but at the same time,
22enrollment in the curriculum remained strong; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2007, members analyzed future needs and
2confirmed the growing importance of the academic program in
3Agricultural Communications at the University of Illinois;
4their report served as a foundation for a Memorandum of
5Understanding; and
 
6    WHEREAS, A core of 3 Agricultural Communications faculty
7members would include a new endowed chair to be established
8through external funding and to provide sustained leadership
9for the program; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In the late 2000s, a new joint-college
11Agricultural Communications Program Committee was established
12and began efforts for transition; a joint committee of faculty
13members developed a strategic vision for the program, "Six
14Dimensions for a Center for Excellence in Agricultural
15Communications at the University of Illinois."; and
 
16    WHEREAS, During 2010, the Illinois Board of Higher
17Education approved the Bachelor of Science degree in
18Agricultural Communications and formalized the new dual
19academic program; also, a joint committee of the 2 colleges
20developed a governing document, based on the Memorandum of
21Understanding, which outlined the mission, governing powers,
22administrative and academic structure, and provisions for
23changes to the Agricultural Communications program; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Enrollment in the Agricultural Communications
2curriculum continued during the early 2010s and was at 50-plus
3students with excellent talents and strong professional
4interest; the Illini Chapter of Agricultural Communicators of
5Tomorrow (ACT) experienced growth and increased service to
6members through enhanced student involvement and effective
7advisor support; and
 
8    WHEREAS, by 2011, the Agricultural Communications
9Documentation Center was expanding research resources and
10mission with Resources in the Center passing the
1137,000-document mark; documents in this unique collection
12involved agriculture-related communications in more than 170
13countries; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate February
1617, 2012 as Agricultural Communications Day in the State of
17Illinois.