Agricultural Communications Programmatic General Fund

Over the last several years donors like you have helped us provide support for the Agriculture Communication Student Enrichment Fund. These funds have been put to good use supporting our agricultural communication students as they engage in learning opportunities outside the classroom including professional development conferences and internships.

Now that the Agriculture Communication Student Enrichment fund is up and running, providing our growing Agriculture Communication student population with world-class learning opportunities, facilitating professional development through conference attendance and supporting students with scholarships and internship support, we are excited to announce the next fundraising initiative focused on establishing an Agricultural Communication Development Fund which will broaden support for the expanding Agricultural Communication program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

As the program continues to grow, so does our need for your support. Enrollment in the Agricultural Communication program has increased 45% over the past six years. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences remains committed to strengthening the Agricultural Communication program with faculty and programmatic enhancements that prepare the next generation of leaders with strong communication skills to meet industry demands and equipped with skills to innovate and tackle global challenges.

By establishing the Agricultural Communication Development Fund we will have the flexibility to:

• Create an expendable fund that will provide maximum flexibility to the chair of the Agricultural Education and Studies Department, to use funds to advance and support ag comm faculty, students, and the program
• Support faculty needs for the growing program, including but not limited to hiring adjuncts to assist with teaching, supervising internships and advising student club activities
• Advance the program’s offerings and curricula through the purchase of communication equipment (cameras, software) and providing stipends/honorariums or travel for industry seminar speakers

The flexibility of an Agricultural Communication Development Fund will provide the department with resources to adapt to the changing communication landscape and respond to industry needs.

Your support will build upon the resources the college and the university offer and will provide the margin of excellence that will set the Agriculture Communication program up for sustainable growth and advance our long-term goals of establishing a major in Agriculture Communication, creating an endowed professorship and educating future industry leaders.

Funds raised will be used on an expendable basis at the discretion of the Agricultural Education and Studies Department Chair. Thank you for considering a charitable contribution to support the Agricultural Communication program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Together we can create an Agriculture Communication Development Fund that will be used to strategically support the short-term needs of the program and position the program for future success and growth.