“Florida First” Strategic Planning Conference, May 20-21 In Safety Harbor, To Focus On Research And Education “Imperatives” For The New Millennium

By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281

Source:
Don Poucher (352) 392-0437

SAFETY HARBOR—University of Florida President John Lombardi will deliver the keynote address, Thursday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Florida FIRST strategic planning conference at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa on Tampa Bay. The two-day conference begins on at 9 a.m. on May 20 and concludes at 12 noon on May 21.

Hosted by the UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the conference will include talks by John Bryne, emeritus president of Oregon State University, who will discuss the future of land-grant universities, and Martha Roberts, deputy commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who will describe agriculture’s role in the state’s economy. Bryne will speak at 9:15 a.m. on May 20, and Roberts will speak at a noon luncheon.

Michael Martin, UF vice president for agriculture and natural resources, said Florida FIRST — short for Focusing IFAS Resources on Solutions for Tomorrow — will “identify research and education imperatives for the new millennium to insure a sustainable, competitive food, fiber and agricultural system, and enhance natural and human resources.”

He said the strategic planning conference will cover all aspects of UF/IFAS statewide teaching, research and extension programs, with special emphasis on research and extension.

“With the new millennium less than a year away, the time is right for a thorough review of our programs,” he said. “The Florida FIRST planning process will enhance the ability of UF/IFAS to carry out its state mandate of service to the food, agricultural and related natural and human resource sectors of Florida.”

Martin pointed out the planning effort is not about restructuring the organization or deleting programs, but it will be a flexible and adaptable process that will act as a springboard for future growth. All faculty and clients served by UF/IFAS are involved.

He said the process includes an analysis of the 1997-98 UF/IFAS budget by function/unit/subject matter and commodity. Support and administrative operations are also being analyzed, and Florida research and education programs are being compared with those in other states.

The UF vice president outlined major phases of the planning process, starting with committees that have prepared base papers for major commodity areas and related subsectors. The papers include analyses of current situations, trends and major factors affecting change. These “determinants of change” identify major technological, institutional, human capital and natural resource forces affecting each subsector.

The nine major subsectors include: (1) animals (beef, dairy, horses, poultry and other livestock); (2) field crops (sugarcane and other field crops); (3) forage crops; (4) citrus and other fruit crops; (5) vegetable crops; (6) ornamental horticulture; (7) turfgrass; (8) forestry, and (9) aquaculture, fisheries and wildlife.

Martin said “base papers” have been developed by UF/IFAS faculty in cooperation with industry and government leaders, and conference sessions will identify critical research and extension needs or imperatives for the next 5-10 years and beyond, Martin said.

“Using the base papers prepared in the first phase, and the research/extension imperatives developed in the second phase, an overall strategic plan for UF/IFAS will be developed,” Martin said. “This plan will provide the basis for future funding and programmatic divisions. It will be handled by UF/IFAS administration in cooperation with UF administrators and leaders from industry and government.”

He said the final phases of the strategic planning process include implementation and evaluation of the various outcomes over a period of years.

Faculty coordinating the development of base papers for the Florida FIRST planning process include Larry Connor, emeritus dean for UF/IFAS resident instruction, and Wayne Smith, director of the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation, who are co-chairing the committee.

Others serving on the committee include: Doug Archer, chair of the food science and human nutrition department; Jerry Bennett, chair of the agronomy department; Jim Cato, director of Florida Sea Grant College; Rod Clouser, extension district director; Pat Cockrell, director of agricultural policy for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation; Ed Hanlon, director of the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, Immokalee; Glen Hembry, chair of the animal science department; and Nayda Torres, chair of the family, youth and community sciences department.

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Posted: April 12, 1999


Category: UF/IFAS



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