Agriculture dean candidate Lee Sommers said maintaining and enhancing the existing college’s mission is a main goal of his during an open forum Monday afternoon in Kildee Hall.

“As we look to try and enhance programs within the college, it is important to maintain the mission orientation,” said Sommers, director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins.

With the changing structure of agriculture, Sommers – the second of three candidates to visit campus – said the goals within the college need to remain consistent while adapting to new challenges.

“We need to make sure we are moving forward in the right direction,” he said.

Sommers said one challenge facing the college is enrollment.

“The overall enrollment in the College of Agriculture needs to be consistent with that of the university,” Sommers said. “If it isn’t, our programs are at risk – especially in light of the current budget.”

To overcome this, Sommers said the university needs to make sure curriculum is relevant to all students.

“We need to maintain a set of courses that are relevant to traditional students, as well as those coming from a farm background,” he said.

Another challenge facing Iowa State is the competition for outside funding, such as grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Sommers said.

“Faculty at Iowa State have been very successful in competing for this funding,” he said. “It is important for this competitiveness to continue through the USDA and other programs.”

Sommers said he believes in working together – internally and with external constituents – to accomplish his goals and the goals of the College of Agriculture.

“It is important that we as a college have a collective plan,” he said. “We need to collectively decide where we want to go with overall programs.”

Jayma Appleby, senior in agriculture education, said she understands the importance of finding the best possible dean for the College of Agriculture.

“The College of Agriculture is important,” she said. “We need proper leadership in order to maintain credibility within the United States.”

Appleby said she is disappointed but not surprised by the lack of students at Monday’s forum.

“I thought there would be more undergraduates,” she said. “They are the ones who will be dealing with the dean.”

The final candidate is Catherine Woteki. She will hold an open forum from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in 1204 Kildee Hall.