Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences

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www.umes.edu/SANS

Dr. Jurgen Schwarz, Chairperson

Mission

The mission of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences is to provide students with an active learning environment that will prepare them to compete successfully in a global society. Graduates of our programs will be poised to make significant, positive contributions to the food and agricultural sciences, which is in keeping with the land-grant philosophy of learning, discovery, and engagement. Thus, it is our never-ending task to provide students with a nurturing environment that offers opportunities for discovery through experiential learning. Accomplishment of our task will result in graduates who have:

• skills in information management;
• critical and analytical thinking skills necessary to integrate theory and real-world situations for making management decisions;
• the ability to communicate effectively; and
• the ability to compete in a highly technological, digital-information oriented, global society.

Additionally, we strive to prepare students who can interact successfully in an ethnically diverse workforce that is comprised of people of socially and culturally diverse backgrounds.

Objectives

The objectives of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences are as follows:

1. To provide an interdisciplinary program inclusive of mathematical, biological, physical and social sciences, and humanities to support areas of concentration in the food and agricultural sciences, including conservation and preservation of our natural resources,
2. To prepare students to interpret and apply scientific principles and techniques in the ever-evolving food, agricultural, and environmental sciences, on a global basis,
3. To promote civic responsibilities of students through community interactions, and
4. To provide students with the applied information technology skills necessary to compete successfully in today’s workforce.

Departmental Requirements

The admission of students to the undergraduate programs in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences is based upon the general admission requirements of the University. Successful completion of PRAXIS I and a minimum GPA of 2.75 are required for admission to the Agriculture Education concentration offered in the General Agriculture degree program.

Agribusiness major - Students majoring in Agribusiness must complete a total of 120 credit hours of University courses. This includes a minimum of 42-43 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 14 semester hours of Departmental Core courses¹, 48 semester hours of Major Core courses¹, 6 semester hours of Supportive courses¹, and 10 semester hours of free electives.

General Agriculture major - Students majoring in General Agriculture must complete a total of 120 credit hours of University courses. This includes a minimum of 41-43 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 14 semester hours of Departmental Core courses¹, 24 - 48 semester hours of Major Core courses¹, 18-35 semester hours of supportive courses¹, and 3-5 semester hours of free electives, depending on the Option Area chosen. The

Option Areas include:

Agriculture Education Option: 42, 14, 45, and 19 semester hours of General Education Requirements, Departmental Core Courses¹, Major Core Courses¹ and Supportive Courses¹, respectively.

Agricultural Studies Option: 41, 14, 27, and 38 semester hours of General Education Requirements, Departmental Core Courses¹, Major Core Courses¹, and Supportive Courses¹, respectively.

Animal and Poultry Science Business/Technology Option I: 43, 14, 28, 30 and 5 semester hours of General Education Requirements, Departmental Core Courses¹, Major Core Courses¹, Supportive Courses¹ and Free Elective Courses, respectively.

Animal and Poultry Science Pre-Veterinary/Pre-Professional Option II: 43, 14, 24, 35 and 4 semester hours of General Education Requirements, Departmental Core Courses¹, Major Core Courses¹, Supportive Courses¹ and Free Elective Courses, respectively.

Plant and Soil Science Option: 43, 14, 25, 34 and 4 semester hours of General Education Requirements, Departmental Core Courses¹, Major Core Courses¹, Supportive Courses¹ and Free Elective Courses, respectively.

Urban Forestry major –Students majoring in Urban Forestry must complete a total of 120 credit hours. This includes a minimum of 42 credit hours of General Education Requirements, 14 credit hours of core courses, 47 credit hours of Major Courses, and 17 credit hours of Support Courses.

*Students must select AGRI 400 Senior Capstone Experience under Emerging Issues as a part of the General Education Requirement.

¹Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in each course in this area.

Directory of Faculty

Acquah, Emmanuel, Professor

B.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore, M.S. and Ph.D., The Ohio State University

Acquah, Sarah, Senior Lecturer

B.S., M.S., Ph.D., The Ohio State University

Allen, Arthur L., Professor

B.S., University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; M.S., Oklahoma State University; Ph.D., University of Illinois-Urbana

Bishop, Tracie, Geospatial Technologies Specialist B.S., Michigan State University; M.S., West Virginia University

Braxton, Kimberly, Assistant Professor

B.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore; DVM, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine

Chi, Yeong-Nain, Associate Professor

B.S., Chinese Culture University; M.S., National Taiwan University; M.S. Louisiana State University; Ph.D., Louisiana State University

Collick, Amy, Research Assistant Professor

B.S., Michigan Technological University; M.S., Ph.D., Cornell University

Cotton, Corrie P., Research Assistant Professor

B.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore; BLA, MLA, The Pennsylvania State University

Dhekney, Sadanand, Associate Professor

B.S., Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, India; M.S., Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India; Ph.D., University of Florida

Dixit,  Naveen, Assistant Professor

B.Sc., Dayal Singh College, Delhi University; M.Sc., Choudhary Charan Singh, Haryana Agricultural University; Ph.D., Indian Agricultural Research Institute

Escobar, Enrique N., Associate Professor

B.S., M.S., Universidad de El Salvador; Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park

Hashem, Fawzy, Research Associate Professor

B.S., University of Ain Shams; M.S., University of Cairo; Ph.D., University of Cairo; Ph.D., University of Maryland College Park

Khatabi, Behnam, Associate Professor

B.S. Shiraz Azad University; M.S., Shiraz University (Iran); Ph.D., University of Giessen (Germany)

Marsh, Lurline E, Professor

B.S., University of the West Indies; M.S., Tuskegee University; Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Min, Byungrok, Associate Professor

B.S., M.S., Seoul National University, R.O. Korea; Ph.D., Iowa State University

Nindo, Caleb, Associate Professor

B.S., M.S., University of Nairobi (Kenya); Ph.D., Iwate University (Japan)

Oh, Sang-Hyon, Associate Professor

B.S., M.S., Seoul National University, Korea; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

Parveen, Salina, Professor

B.S., M.S., University of Dhaka; Ph.D., University of Florida

Schwarz, Jurgen, Professor

B.S., M.S., Hohenheim University; Ph.D., Cornell University

Shantharam, Sivramiah, Biotechnology Research Specialist

B.S., Bangalore University, India; M.S., University of Baroda, India; Ph.D., Memorial University of

Newfoundland, Canada

Timmons, Jennifer, Assistant Professor

B.S., University of Delaware; M.S., Ph.D., University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Tubene, Stephan L., Associate Professor

B.S., Institut Facultaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Yangambi; M.S., Alcorn State University; Ph.D., Kansas State University

Zebelo, Simon, Associate Professor

B.Sc., M.Sc., Hawassa University, Ethiopia; Ph.D., University of Turin, Italy

Programs

• Agribusiness Management, B.S.
• General Agriculture - Agricultural Studies Option, B.S.
• General Agriculture - Agriculture Education, B.S.
• General Agriculture - Animal and Poultry Science Business Technology Option, B.S.
• General Agriculture - Animal and Poultry Science Pre-Veterinary/Pre-Professional Option II, B.S.
• General Agriculture - Plant and Soil Science, B.S.
• Urban Forestry, B.S.

• Agribusiness Management Minor

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