Program synthesis and future challenge.

For a long time—at least since 1969—different Poultry Science Association (PSA) members have been concerned about disappearing poultry science departments, faculty, and programs. With the steady attrition of poultry programs at universities has been an opposite trend in the poultry industry, where growth has steadily increased. After many years of monitoring the status of poultry science departments, the PSA Board in 1989 revamped the Status Committee to form the Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Poultry Science in North America. The purpose of this committee, in addition to documenting changes, was to attempt a more proactive role in persuading universities not to eliminate poultry departments or faculty positions. The Ad Hoc Committee existed for approximately 6 yr, and was co-chaired by During this time, the primary activity was to write letters to deans of colleges of agriculture in which poultry departments were being merged into animal science departments. Letters were sent to the deans, with copies to national and state poultry industry leaders, at the of Wisconsin. To the extent that we learned about these pending mergers as or just before they occurred, this effort to influence the decisions was still largely reactive. Considering that these departments and programs are no longer in existence, despite our efforts, it is unclear how effective we were. In any case, the Ad Hoc Status Committee ceased to exist around 1994. One reason we were not more successful, I believe, is that without direct industry participation in the effort we simply were not a strong voice, and we were not successful in enlisting industry support. At about this time, Hank Engster, of Perdue Farms, Inc., had become aware of the serious negative effects on poultry science bench strength and on numbers of graduates with expertise in poultry. His efforts to expand the dialogue to industry was more successful, as he worked, with input from the PSA Industry Committee, to conceptualize this symposium. Before we can discuss change, however, we have to know where we are now; in order to know where you are going, you must know where you have been. Poultry science and the poultry industry became great because historically there was a joint venture between the two. It is important for us to remember that, and to understand fundamentally that the scientific excellence of poultry science departments in land grant universities complemented , enhanced, and sustained the efforts of the early …