ALEC Department Head Fall Greetings

ALEC friends,

I hope your fall is coming to a wonderful end. As we wrap up the semester here in the ALEC Department, I am proud to highlight some of the accomplishments of our faculty, students and alumni.

It’s with great joy that we announce the approval of a new terminal degree for the Department, a Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication. This long-anticipated Ph.D. program is the result of our faculty members who are raising the standards to provide more opportunities for ALEC graduates. Dr. Alexa Lamm joined ALEC fulltime in July and took on the role of graduate coordinator. With her guidance, the ALEC Ph.D. is shaping up to be a rigorous curriculum that will emphasize the talents and expertise of our faculty and create tailor-made degrees for candidates. We look forward to welcoming our first cohort of Ph.D. students during Fall 2020. Learn more about the Ph.D. program in the newsletter feature.

Our leadership program has expanded into offering a study abroad program in Morocco for Maymester 2020. Read more about this program developed by Dr. James Anderson II in this edition. Our agricultural education program continues to serve teachers across the state. This newsletter highlights one student’s research work under the direction of Dr. Jason Peake.

Another way in which we are expanding opportunities for ALEC students is through the creation of a student-centered agency. This agency will encourage the development of student skills across all disciplines within the Department. The agency, spearheaded by Dr. Abigail Borron, will connect students with industry clients to meet communication, education and leadership project needs. We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to students while better preparing them for the agriculture industry they will serve in the future.

I would be remiss to leave out the outstanding research accomplishments of our faculty as they exceed expectations. ALEC increased in refereed journal articles from 17 in 2017 to 88 in 2017. This 417% increase in journal article publication is a testament to the dedication of faculty members to achieving the research mission of UGA.

Because of the increase in research, we were able to welcome 14 graduate assistants in Fall 2019. These Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education students are housed on both the Athens and Tifton campuses. You’ll read about some of their accomplishments in this newsletter, as well!

Thank you for your continued support of our department, and we look forward to sharing many more updates with you as the Department continues to grow!

Leslie Edgar
Department Head
Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication