Animal Sciences
Newsletter 2006

Undergraduate Student Update

Undergraduate Student Update
by Dr. Mark Diekman, Undergraduate Program Coordinator

For the 2005 fall semester, undergraduate enrollment increased by 12% to a total of 522 students. Nearly 85% of the Animal Sciences undergraduate students are from Indiana. The increase in enrollment is due mainly to the influx of pre-veterinary medicine students from the College of Agriculture as we enter a transition period of moving pre-vet students to a degreeseeking program during their freshman year. One hundred and fourteen freshmen (a 44% increase) entered Animal Sciences in August 2005, with an additional 25 transfers from other institutions, primarily from junior colleges. During 2005, over 100 students graduated with a BS degree, 5 students with an AS degree and 6 students with a minor in Animal Sciences. Fifty-one Animal Sciences students also graduated with a minor in biology, liberal arts, or agriculture economics.

The most popular option is the science option (387 students) with the majority (66%) specializing in pre-veterinary medicine. Thirty-seven students are enrolled in the production option and 91 students are enrolled in the agribusiness option. Four students are pursuing the products option. Enrollment has remained steady in the biotechnology specialization. There are 52 enrolled in the behavior/well-being specialization, and several incoming freshmen for fall 2006 have indicated that they will be enrolling in this option.

The Department of Animal Sciences leads the College of Agriculture in the number of students that study abroad. Participation in undergraduate research projects continues to increase. The Department offers more than 60 courses with an annual enrollment of over 2,300 students and over 6,200 credit contact hours.

Careers in Animal Sciences

Animal Sciences alumni Lindsay Crosby, Chelsea Culler, and Gary Weilbaker discuss careers in the animal industry during a career fair.

The Department of Animal Sciences, in collaboration with Maple Leaf Farms, Monsanto Company, and the Animal Science Leadership Program, is strengthening the resources to enhance student development and career planning for the more than 522 undergraduate students and 72 graduate students, and assist employers in finding the best Animal Sciences students for full-time employment, internships and summer opportunities. Maple Leaf Farms and the Department's Career Services Office sponsored the ANSC 181 Industry Tour in January. More than 60 students, faculty and staff participated in the two-day industry tour which included tours of ConAgra, Biomet, Fort Wayne Zoo, the Leon Tucker farm, and ADM. Maple Leaf Farms provided dinner and Pam Green, Vice President, spoke to the group about succeeding in the animal industry.

In 2005, the Department of Animal Sciences graduates welcomed a good employment market. Eighty-seven percent of the May 2005 graduates were employed or continued their education. Thirty-seven percent of these graduates continued in educational programs. Twenty percent enrolled in veterinary medicine and eight percent enrolled in graduate school. Recent employers include PIC, Indiana Packers, Smithfield Foods, the Indianapolis Zoo, Methodist Hospital and John Morrell.

Student Named to Board of Trustees

Rachel Cumberbatch, a junior in Animal Sciences from Lebanon, Ind., was chosen to represent the student body on the Purdue Board of Trustees. She was selected by Gov. Mitch Daniels after an extensive application and interview process.

"I want to be a go-between so students understand everything we have to do," said Cumberbatch. "I have been researching issues such as building repair, rehabilitation and tuition rates."

At Purdue, Cumberbatch has served as an ambassador and mentor for the Department of Animal Sciences, member and then adviser for the President's Leadership Class, and member of the Boiler Volunteer Network. She has also participated in study abroad trips in China and Honduras.

The board is a 10-member governing body that administers finances and decides rules and precedents for the University. Currently, the board is in the middle of a multi-million dollar campaign, facing budget shortfalls from the state legislature, embarking on numerous building renovations and presiding over a growing state-wide campus system.

To learn more about the Purdue Board of Trustees, log onto http://www2.itap.purdue.edu/bot/index.cfm.

Undergraduate Scholarship Award Recipients

Book-Harmon Leadership Program

John Madia received his BS in Animal Sciences from Purdue in 1978.

In 2005, Bob Book, retired Vice President of Elanco, and Dr. Bud Harmon, Purdue Professor Emeritus and retired Animal Sciences Department Head, founded a Leadership Program for animal sciences students.

John Madia, Vice President for Human Resources, Productivity and Site Operations at Dow AgroSciences, presented a seminar at the 2006 Book-Harmon Leadership Program. The leadership program was filled to capacity with approximately 170 people attending the presentation held in the Deans Auditorium on February 15.

During the presentation, entitled "Leadership: The Reward of Changing Scenery," Madia focused on: Learning the critical role of leadership; expanding the vision of world-wide opportunities; increasing awareness of industry issues; spreading knowledge of the skills for which industry is looking; why students should seek opportunities to serve; and making a difference beyond the workplace.

This year's program was sponsored by: The Department of Animal Sciences, Maple Leaf Farms, Monsanto Company, Conversations on Learning in Agriculture Series, and the College of Agriculture.

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