The mission of the Academic Programs Section is to assure that the development of human capital in agriculture, food, natural resources and related areas is a preeminent concern of the Land-Grant and State University System and its federal partners. This Section under the Board on Agriculture Assembly is comprised of the designated administrators of academic programs at the colleges of agriculture of all the states and territories.
The Academic Program Section (APS) is comprised of the principal officer(s) responsible for academic or instructional programs (undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education) offered by the faculty within colleges of agriculture and related disciplines. It is one of five sections within the Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU). The others are agInnovation (formerly the Experiment Station Section), the Extension Programs Section, the Administrative Heads Section, and the International Programs Section.
For a more comprehensive breakdown of the Academic Programs Section, click here.
ACOP
The Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP) is the executive committee of the Academic Programs Section. It is made up of the individuals listed below with the exception of the regional chair-elects.
APS Innovative Teaching Awards
The APS Innovative Teaching Awards are for faculty who wish to expand their scholarship of teaching and learning by providing innovative teaching and learning experiences for students.
USDA Teaching Awards
The USDA National Awards for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences is sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and APLU. The program generates nominations from a large spectrum of departments in agriculture, natural resources, veterinary science, and human sciences.
Northeast Regional Chair: Dr. Becky Sartini, University of Rhode Island
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, West Virginia
North Central Regional Chair: Dr. Carmen Bain, Iowa State University
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas
Southern Regional Chair: Dr. Amy Wright, Auburn University
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Western Regional Chair: Dr. Don Conner, New Mexico State University
Montana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Samoa
Visit the Western Regional webpage here.
To view Regional Minutes, please click here.
APS convenes meetings and produces products that are useful for those working in academic programs as well as policymakers. APS also allies with other organizations on issues of importance to agricultural academic programs. Below you can find links to reports and presentations from APS as well as the Membership Directory and resources related to agricultural higher education.
APS has produced or participated in the production of several useful reports over the past decade.
Employability Skills and Students Critical Growth Areas
From Academia to the Workforce: Executive Summary
From Academia to the Workforce: Critical Growth Areas for Today’s Students
For more reports, click here.
APS hosts meetings several times a year. Presentations from those meetings will be housed here.
2024 APS & NARRU Winter Meeting Presentations
2023 Academic Programs Staff Development Workshop
2022 Teaching Workshop: Determining and Communicating Teaching Impact and Effectiveness
2022 Teaching Workshop: Sharing Effective Practices
2022 Teaching Workshop: Advice for Early Career
2020 APS Staff Development Workshop
2017 APS Staff Development Workshop
The Academic Programs Section has hosted several events in a series titled Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines, which focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in these disciplines. The sessions are designed to provide background on these issues and where possible, deliver practical solutions that could be implemented on other campuses so that students, staff, and faculty from all background are included and can thrive in the food, agriculture and natural resources disciplines.
To view past webinars, click here.
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