NRCS, A&T Long-Time Partners
June 27, 2001 Greensboro, NC: The relationship between North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the Natural Resources Conservation Service is as rich and fertile as the North Carolina soil in which they both have a stake. Two Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices call the A&T campus home. Multiple NRCS-funded research projects and scholarships serve A&T students and faculty. And two of the top five NRCS positions reporting directly to the organization’s chief are held by A&T graduates. “NRCS has continued to be one of our most supportive partners, in terms of scholarships, internships, research and campus-based offices,” said Dr. Alton Thompson, dean of the NC A&T School of Agriculture and Environmental and Allied Sciences. “It’s obvious from the continued relationship that both organizations feel that they can help each other achieve their respective goals.” According to Thompson, a common goal for both organizations is helping farmers and helping the environment by understanding how human activities affect soil quality. NRCS is also interested in skilled graduates to fill its positions, and A&T is interested in helping graduates find rewarding careers, said Thompson. Placing A&T graduates in NRCS positions is one area in which the relationship is particularly fruitful. As far back as the 1960s, students from Dr. Samuel Dunn’s soil science classes were spending their summers working for what was then called the Soil Conservation Service. Most anticipated working with the agency following graduation, but few could imagine that among their classmates were several future NRCS leaders. “We expected a lot of our students in those days,” says Dunn, now retired from the university. “The nation was just beginning to acknowledge the importance of soil conservation, and we knew that there would be a tremendous demand for graduates skilled in this area. With that demand came grand opportunities for our students.” To help his students prepare for such challenges, Dunn administered a daily quiz, which Dwight Holman remembers with a laugh still today. “Dr. Dunn was passionate about the importance of soil conservation,” said Holman, a 1969 A&T graduate and now NRCS deputy chief for management. “He wanted to make sure that we entered the workforce ready to meet the challenges of the field and that we would represent A&T well. By combining classroom work with summer jobs and research on the A&T farm, we were very well prepared for our careers.” In NRCS’s national office in Washington, DC, five deputy chiefs are responsible for the agency’s multiple divisions. In addition to Holman, Lawrence Clark, NRCS deputy chief for science and technology, is an A&T alumnus (1968). Several A&T alumni are state soil scientists, leading their respective state’s NRCS soil science offices. Among state offices led by A&T alumni are those for New York, Maryland and Delaware. More than 30 years after Dunn began establishing ties with NRCS, A&T students still have ample opportunity to become involved with the agency. One avenue for involvement is an NRCS soil survey office, located in A&T’s Carver Hall, just as it was in the late 1960s. A&T graduate Roger Leab leads that office, which employs three people and is responsible for mapping the Triad’s soils for development and agricultural considerations. “Our relationship with A&T is ideal, because it gives us access to knowledgeable faculty members and enthusiastic students,” said Leab. “Due to retirement, there is going to be tremendous turnover among NRCS employees, and the agency will need skilled workers with prior experience. We hope to provide that experience to students.” Another A&T-based NRCS office is the headquarters of the Social Sciences Institute, the NRCS office dedicated to studying the sociological aspects of conservation. The Social Sciences Institute employs ten staff members who are located in seven states and in Washington, D.C. The Institute uses cutting edge social science information to make recommendations regarding service delivery systems, marketing of conservation, and strategies to increase adoption of conservation practices. “Environmental policy often requires negotiation between long-term environmental health and short-term economic gains,” said Dr. Frank Clearfield, director of the Institute. “The Institute is structured to help NRCS understand the needs and desires of its audiences, so that the agency can formulate policies and implement programs to meet those needs and desires.” Part of the research behind this audience analysis comes from A&T’s Applied Survey Research Laboratory (ASRL) located in the C.H. Moore building on the A&T campus, literally next door to the Social Science Institute’s offices. In fact, the ASRL, a facility designed to conduct telephone surveys, was instrumental in bringing the Social Sciences Institute to A&T. “We chose A&T because we were familiar with the ASRL and Dean Thompson,” said Clearfield. “Plus, A&T has a connection with small-scale farmers and is reasonably close to NRCS headquarters in Washington.” Since coming to A&T in 1995, the Social Sciences Institute has conducted a number of studies in conjunction with the ASRL and continues to be a connection between the agency and the university, said Clearfield. Student and faculty support is yet another facet of the A&T-NRCS relationship. In fact, NRCS annually funds research projects and scholarships designed to help both organizations serve the needs of the nation. Just recently NRCS announced new scholarships available to students majoring in A&T’s Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Program. According to Dr. Godfrey Gayle, director of the program, the scholarship will help A&T students become familiar with sophisticated technology designed to predict and analyze soil erosion. Such efforts reflect the responsiveness of both organizations, and are key to meeting the needs of the environment, says Dean Thompson. “The answers to today’s and tomorrow’s environmental concerns require collaboration among the various organizations serving the public,” said Thompson. “We all have a stake in the environment, and we must communicate and cooperate with each other so that conservation efforts are effective and efficient, especially in this era of government downsizing.” NRCS, formerly the Soil Conservation Service, was formed as a national response to the Dust Bowl catastrophe of the mid-1930's. NRCS employees help land users solve their natural resource challenges and maintain and improve their economic viability. Nearly three-fourths of the technical assistance provided by the agency goes to helping farmers and ranchers develop conservation systems uniquely suited to their land and individual ways of doing business. The agency also provides assistance to rural and urban communities to reduce erosion, conserve and protect water, and solve other resource problems. - 30 - For more information, please contact Dr. Alton Thompson, NC A&T School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, (336) 334-7979. |
