News Release Distributed 06/13/14

ALEXANDRIA, La. – The LSU College of Agriculture is partnering with LSU of Alexandria to offer a concentration in agriculture within the biology degree program at the Alexandria campus.

The concentration is especially suitable for students interested in going into crop consulting or integrated pest management or who are part of a farming family and want to earn an applicable college education.

“We see this as a wonderful opportunity for our students, our community and our institution,” said LSUA Provost Barbara Hatfield. “It increases our degree offerings, provides a degree that may be used locally and provides additional opportunities for LSUA and LSU College of Agriculture faculty to work together.”

Students will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, with agriculture courses and other related classes making up the 30-credit area of concentration.

The courses to be offered at LSUA include soils, weed science, entomology, integrated pest management and plant pathology. Students also will be required to complete an internship or an independent research project in agriculture.

Leslie Blanchard, assistant dean for the LSU College of Agriculture, said it is important to build partnerships within the system and strengthen academic offerings.

“It is always valuable and worthwhile to look at ways to extend knowledge and expand the reach of our educational programs,” Blanchard said.

LSU College of Agriculture and LSU AgCenter faculty are tremendously motivated to make this program as successful as possible, she said.

All lectures will be taught by faculty from the LSU Baton Rouge campus through a mixture of online and compressed-video classes. Labs will be taught by LSU faculty, LSUA faculty or faculty at the LSU AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Center, and will be face-to-face on the LSUA campus.

Students also will be able to take advantage of the Dean Lee facility for research and internships.

"Demand is high for agricultural scientists,” said Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture. “This concentration will help train more students for careers that will protect our food and fiber systems.”