Hello everyone!

The Agricultural Communicators of Iowa State University launched their 2019 FundISU project on November 8th. This year, our goal is to reach 5,000 dollars by January 3rd. We are asking for your help to reach our goal as we have many things coming up in the next year.

Your donations will benefit ACT members in a variety of ways in the coming year. As a club, we plan to host many industry tours as this really connects our students with future employers. We also plan to send more students to conferences such as Agricultural Media Summit. Your gifts make these trips possible by covering travel costs, overnight stays, and attendance fees.

Your donations are appreciated across the entire agricultural communication program. Students are able to gain many connections and useful knowledge conferences and industry tours that they are able to bring back and use in their summer internships.

We hope you can help the future “agvocaters” of Iowa State reach their goal for this year’s crowdsourcing project. We can’t wait to see what we can do to reach our full potential in the industry with your wonderful donations. Again, we appreciate every bit of donations we receive as any amount is helpful.

You can check out the 2019 project here: https://fundisu.foundation.iastate.edu/AgComm2019 

Sincerely,

The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow

Last night our ACT chapter held officer elections for the 2018 year! We wanted to take a minute and say thank you to all who have donated so far. We are grateful for the opportunities your donations will present for our members.

This fall we were able to welcome 21 Ag Communication students into our department. We have a handful of transfer students along with a core group of freshman. Our Agricultural Communications program allows students to take various classes of their interest within the communications area. Many of these new students became members of our Iowa State Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club.

When asked why they joined ACT, many responded by saying they have a passion for advocating and communicating about the agricultural industry. Being able to inform others about the agriculture industry is very important in today’s society and will be for years to come. Many of the members are looking forward to networking with industry professionals as well as gaining the necessary skills to be successful in their future career. A few of the new members were very impressed with the current members in ACT because they were so welcoming into the major as well as the club. The new students are looking forward to building the relationships with older members in the club to go to for advice. Ag Communications and ACT are a great way for these freshman/transfer students to gain leadership skills and valuable career skills to help them upon graduation.

Last week we celebrated Homecoming here at Iowa State University. While some students are highly involved through Greek life or campus clubs, Mikayla Dolch took on a different role this year. Mikayla is a current Senior and serves as our ACT Vice President, and she is also involved as the Food on Campus Co-Chair for the Homecoming Central Committee. Her favorite part of homecoming this year was “working alongside the other 33 committee members to promote school spirit through Food on Campus, Cardinal and Gold Tournaments, Painting Victory Lane, Homecoming Dance, CyFactor, Pep Rally, ExCYtement in the Streets, Mass Campaniling and Fireworks, Homecoming Parade, Blood Drive, and Yell Like Hell.” For Mikayla, homecoming is about coming together as a university to celebrate our traditions.

When asked how ACT helped prepare her for this position, Mikayla credits ACT for her ability to prioritize tasks accordingly on a detailed timeline and to efficiently and effectively communicate with businesses and colleges for food orders and sponsorships. In her position there was an unending list of tasks that needed to be completed in order to successfully put together 6 days of meals for 2,500 students per day. Collaboration, communication, and diligence were the key skills she has taken from ACT and implemented into her role on the Homecoming Central Committee. Great job, Mikayla!

Last week on October 17th, Agricultural Communication students attended the Iowa State Career Fair, the largest agricultural career fair in the nation. With roughly 264 companies in attendance, students within our department were able to talk to a variety of companies. Opportunities ranged from agronomy and sales to communications and marketing. Students in our major are currently in the interviewing process with companies to find the best fit for them. As interviews are taking place, our Ag Comm students are putting in a lot of hard work to secure their dream internship. By attending conferences through ACT, students are able to network with industry professionals and start making connections that may further lead to internships or full time job opportunities. We wish all our of Ag Communications students good luck throughout the job search. We are #CALS proud.

In the photo below, you can see our Agricultural Communication students worked with a wide variety of companies like the Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers, AgriGold, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Producers Hybrids, and many more great companies that allowed students to learn and grow throughout the summer. 

We welcomed a new face to the Ag Comm department this semester! Dr. Shuyang Qu will be working as an assistant professor in our department and will also be involved as an advisor for our ACT Club. Dr. Qu is originally from China where she obtained her undergrad in English language and literature at South Central University for Nationalities. She then moved to Ames where she was able to complete her masters in Journalism and Mass Communication here at Iowa State University. Most recently, she graduated with a PhD from Florida State University in Agricultural Communication.

Dr. Qu says she is “excited to work with students that have such passion and dedication” as our students do in the Ag Comm Department. Dr. Qu is enthusiastic about all of the research opportunities that Iowa State will allow her to be apart of and introduce to students. We are thrilled to have her here as a great resource in our expanding major!

On behalf of the Iowa State Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club, we personally want to thank all of our alumni for your generous support. Without the support from you all, we wouldn’t be able to attend conferences like NAFB, AAEA, Ag Media Summit and other professional development conferences. Through conferences and other events we attend, our students look forward to traveling both near and far to meet our alumni as well as other undergraduate students in Agricultural Communications. Support allows students of all grade levels to participate in many networking and professional development opportunities. Without your gracious donations, this wouldn't be possible!

Two weeks ago Agricultural Communication Students participated in various CALS Week activities that gave them the opportunity to give back to the community. Sigma Alpha hosted their annual Mr. CALS event to raise money for Food At First. Pictured in the first image below are ACT members Amanda Crow, Kristi Goedken, and Laura Mincks who helped raise over $1,000 through this event.

Many Agricultural Communication students also helped with the Block and Bridle Meals from the Heartland packaging event on Wednesday of CALS Week. Pictured in the second image below is Stephanie McMillan (far left), senior in Agricultural Communications posing at their photo booth after taking part in packaging nearly 100,000 meals that day.