SR0558 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0558 LRB097 19276 KXB 64520 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In 1961, a new major in Agricultural Communications was formed within the General Education curriculum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, then in 1966 became a 4-year curriculum; through a joint agreement, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications provided a core of professional courses for agricultural communications students; and

WHEREAS, In the late 1960s, a new Agricultural Communications Industry Advisory Committee was formed; members represented agricultural publications, broadcast stations, agricultural marketing firms, agricultural commodity and farmer organizations, and advertising and public relations firms that served agricultural clients; and

WHEREAS, By the 1970s, a strategic plan for the academic program resulted in development of 7 new agricultural communications courses; and

WHEREAS, The University of Illinois students collaborated with those from the University of Missouri and Iowa State University to lay the foundation for forming the national Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT); and

WHEREAS, In the 1980s, the Agricultural Communications program launched several major international initiatives; through a new program for Agricultural Communications Education (PACE), University of Illinois personnel worked with colleagues at universities in Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Pakistan, and the West Indies to plan and strengthen academic programs in this field of interest; and

WHEREAS, Agricultural Communications faculty members helped form a new interdisciplinary International Program for Agricultural Knowledge Systems (INTERPAKS) within the College of Agriculture; and

WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Academic programs and faculty members in Agricultural Communications, Agricultural Education, and Extension Education became part of a new Department of Human and Community Development in a restructured College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences; and

WHEREAS, In the early 2000s, there was an erosion of Agricultural Communications faculty and staff positions due to budget squeezes, unfortunate timing, programmatic decisions and organizational restructuring, but at the same time, enrollment in the curriculum remained strong; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, members analyzed future needs and confirmed the growing importance of the academic program in Agricultural Communications at the University of Illinois; their report served as a foundation for a Memorandum of Understanding; and

WHEREAS, A core of 3 Agricultural Communications faculty members would include a new endowed chair to be established through external funding and to provide sustained leadership for the program; and

WHEREAS, In the late 2000s, a new joint-college Agricultural Communications Program Committee was established and began efforts for transition; a joint committee of faculty members developed a strategic vision for the program, "Six Dimensions for a Center for Excellence in Agricultural Communications at the University of Illinois."; and

WHEREAS, During 2010, the Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communications and formalized the new dual academic program; also, a joint committee of the 2 colleges developed a governing document, based on the Memorandum of Understanding, which outlined the mission, governing powers, administrative and academic structure, and provisions for changes to the Agricultural Communications program; and

WHEREAS, Enrollment in the Agricultural Communications curriculum continued during the early 2010s and was at 50-plus students with excellent talents and strong professional interest; the Illini Chapter of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) experienced growth and increased service to members through enhanced student involvement and effective advisor support; and

WHEREAS, by 2011, the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center was expanding research resources and mission with Resources in the Center passing the 37,000-document mark; documents in this unique collection involved agriculture-related communications in more than 170 countries; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate February 17, 2012 as Agricultural Communications Day in the State of Illinois.