Missouri State University

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Mountain Grove Campus Task Force

System Issues Report

How will the State fruit experiment station be operated? As a campus? As a research institute?

The group agreed that:

  • The entire Mountain Grove campus should be considered the Fruit Experiment Station, on which various units such as the Fruit Science Department (FRS) and the Mid-America Viticulture and Enology Center (MVEC) will operate.
  • The units that currently make up the School of Agricultural Sciences should be consolidated into a College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences (or a college by similar name). This would enhance the profile of the disciplines, remove any feeling that the departments in the school have been pushed down, correct the present awkward administrative arrangement, and be in keeping with the university’s new state-wide mandate. [See question 13 for a fuller elaboration of the rationale].
  • The units on the Mountain Grove campus, being academic and agricultural, should report to the dean of the college of agriculture & consumer sciences, and on to the Provost.
  • Given this reporting line, there is no need for a separate person to be designated chancellor, as in the current arrangement which has often resulted in misunderstanding. The dean should be designated as chancellor of the campus.
  • Retain Mountain Grove as a separate campus in the Missouri State University System and designate it as "The Mountain Grove Campus". [See question 9 for elaboration].
  • The Mountain Grove campus should have one person designated as coordinator of operations, and as an initial point of contact for general inquiries. His/her role will be to coordinate the use of operational resources, and to be an easily accessible liaison with the community. This person should be a full-time faculty or staff person, preferably one that resides in the Mounting Grove area. [It was pointed out that, while not so designated, there is already a professional staff who performs these roles and is resident on the station.]

What should the relationship be between the department of fruit science and the department of agriculture? [Questions 2 & 3 together]

There was much discussion on this, but no consensus was reached. Possible options included:

  • Eliminate the present Fruit Science department, and absorb it along with the MVEC into the present department of Agriculture. It was said that this move would unify the agriculture disciplines, enabling the head of department to speak for all of agriculture. Reservations expressed about this option included the fact that it constrains rather than enhancing the agriculture disciplines; that there is a net loss of one department; that it removes the only academic department based on the Mountain Grove campus thereby jeopardizing its campus status; and that unification of agriculture can be well served at the school/college level. [Work is continuing on an appendix of the resource implications of some of the options]
  • Combine FRS with the horticulture discipline in AGR to form one department of horticulture, and let the rest of AGR remain as another department.
  • Combine FRS with the plant science discipline in AGR to form one department of Plant Science, and let the rest of AGR remain as another department.
  • Same as previous one, but allow for another department in Agricultural Business/Education/Communication. Thus there would be three departments in the agriculture area, the others being Plant Science and Animal Science.
  • Leave the departmental structure as it is at present, but use the school/college structure to promote collaboration and cohesion.
  • [Other options (in a context beyond Mountain Grove) have been floated that would partially involve ACS department.]

Should the university develop a horticulture program in the long term?

This is one of the options addressed in Question 2 above.

How will the Mountain Grove Campus be structured to ensure maximum efficiency? Who will be in charge of the campus, and who will that person report to?

See answers to Question 1

Will the campus be run on a cost-center model?

In the model proposed, the College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences would be the cost center, and the units on the campus would be part of that cost center. Some selected sub-units on the campus could be operated on a business center model. Revenue from these operations would be invested in the research and education programs on the campus. For purposes of this distinction, a cost center would be expected to recover its costs, whereas a business center would strive to achieve a net revenue that would be used to support initiatives within its discipline or activity area.

Who will operate the campus winery and distillery?

This issue is already being discussed at another university-level forum, and matters in that forum are likely to evolve before the task force reports. In summary, the University President met with the Research Committee of the MO Grape and Wine Board on September 27, 2005. Members of the committee expressed their concern about past expenditure patterns for the funds contracted to the University for grape and wine research, advisement and training. In addition, concern was expressed regarding the operation of two other programs currently included within MVEC: the Mountain Grove Cellars Winery (and distillery), and the NSF-funded Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA). The President agreed to present the University’s proposed management of these activities and its commitment to their operations at the next meeting of the Research Committee which is scheduled for December 14, 2005.

What will be the major focus of research on the campus short-term? Long-term?

Short term:
  • Inter-disciplinary Molecular Biology Program: Strengthen Molecular Biology work on the Mountain Grove campus and seek additional resources. Serious thought should be given to the establishment of an interdisciplinary group in this area, embracing faculty from several departments on the Springfield and Mountain Grove campuses.
  • Viticulture & Enology
  • Alternative and emerging fruit crops such as elderberry, pawpaw, etc.
  • Applied research as dictated by current or emerging needs of the fruit industry.
Long-term

School of Agricultural Sciences Researchable Themes: Discussions among the department heads and others in the School over the past year have led to the identification of some themes that could serve to unify the various disciplines within the School. Each of these themes is consistent with the university themes and goals in the most recent Strategic Plan. Research on the Mountain Grove campus will focus on one or more of these, with a proper balance between basic and applied research:

  • i. Food (including production, preparation, administration, etc.)
  • ii. Sustainability (including sustainable agriculture, green design/marketing, use of recyclables in fashion, etc.),
  • iii. Agroforestry,
  • iv. Agritourism (especially as related to hospitality and value added activities)
  • v. International Programs.
  • vi. The school is also looking at a niche for projects related to Small Farms, where small animals (e.g. goats), vegetables, herbs, medicinals, heirloom cultivars, and value-added ventures (e.g. hospitality) could help to reverse the trend towards the extinction of small farms and provide a stimulus for economic growth.

How will the winery/distillery be incorporated into the department of agriculture’s food processing and beverage program? How will they be integrated into the hospitality and restaurant administration program? [See Q 6 also]

A. The Emporium concept

Various persons in the School of Agricultural Sciences, in CNAS, and the university have given much thought to a centerpiece physical facility that will bring together the teaching, research, demonstration, outreach and resource-generation (enterprise) manifestations of the School. This has led to the concept of a facility (which for now we can call the "Emporium"). Here is a description of it.

The Hospitality and Restaurant Administration (HRA) program already operates a teaching restaurant called "Carrie’s". This restaurant (not necessarily in its present location or by its present name) will form the nucleus of the Emporium. Adjacent to the restaurant proper will be a concessions area where various products from the school/college of agricultural sciences will be on display and available for purchase. Right now, we are already positioned to offer wines from Mountain Grove Cellars Winery (with the winery and bottling unit staying in Mountain Grove), carbonated fruit juices, fresh fruit from our orchards in Mountain Grove, our own line of fruit preserves of various kinds, fashion/decoration ideas from Applied Consumer Sciences department, fresh flowers from the horticulture program in the Agriculture department, etc. More items will be added as time goes on. The facility will specialize in food and fiber-related products that have been generated in school/college of agriculture and consumer sciences, and in the university at large. Emphasis will be on the value-added principle. As much as possible, the Emporium will be operated as an experiential facility for students in nearly all the disciplines in the school/college. To this end, the Emporium will be staffed, and managed by students, with professional oversight. The Emporium will serve the following purposes:

For the students:

  • a practical lab,
  • a place to showcase their creativity,
  • a location for internships, and
  • a source of part-time employment.

For the school/college of agricultural sciences and the university:
  • a valuable outreach and publicity tool,
  • a unifying project to which all disciplines in school/college can meaningfully contribute,
  • an opportunity for cost recovery in research, outreach and teaching pursuits,
  • a source of income to support research

For the alumni and the community:
  • a top-notch restaurant and retail facility
  • a source of pride and
  • a point of interface with students, faculty and staff of Missouri State University.

Ideas similar to the Emporium can be found elsewhere. Elements of it are already operational at several institutions such as California State University, Fresno, and even in commercial outlets such as the "Cracker Barrel" restaurant chain. Money generated by the Emporium will be utilized to support research in school/college.

B. Irrespective of where the Winery/Fruit Products Facility is initially located, the products from there will be available for display and sale at the emporium.

C. The Winery/Fruit Products Facility will serve a teaching function for relevant courses in AGR, FRS and ACS, while remaining accessible to all departments for relevant research in enology and fruit products.

D. In the long term, a demonstration winery could be added to the emporium.

E. Mountain Grove Cellars Winery (and distillery) is a separate entity licensed by the federal and state governments to produce and sell wine and distilled spirits. The winery currently is a unit within the MVEC. Management of the winery operation is one of the topics to be discussed by the President with the Research Committee of the MO Grape and Wine Board on December 14, 2005.

Should the current designation of "Mountain Grove Campus" be retained?

Campus Name: At one time in the past, it was debated whether the campus should be called the "Mountain Grove Research Campus", or simply the "Mountain Grove Campus". For various reasons, it was decided to continue to call it simply the Mountain Grove Campus. In addition to the reasons adduced in the previous debate, the following additional reasons would suggest that the decision should be retained:

In fulfillment of the Fruit Experiment Station mandate, the campus places nearly as much emphasis on Outreach as on research, while doing a significant amount of graduate and undergraduate teaching as well. Examples of Outreach activities include conducting training programs, advisement, and workshops for members of the fruit industry in Missouri. To simply call it a research campus would be ignoring the major outreach activity that we are obliged to undertake there by virtue of the Field Experiment Station mandate.

Secondly, inserting the word "research" in the campus name may be seen as unnecessarily foreclosing the university’s options for future development of the place into a full-fledged multi-faceted campus. Not inserting the word makes it immediately obvious to stakeholders that those options remain open. As such, the name "Mountain Grove Campus" seems to be the best option for now.

What comprises the Fruit Experiment Station?

See Question 1

What can be done to ameliorate the academic isolation of faculty on the Mountain Grove Campus, especially with respect to the Plant Biotechnology and the agriculture colleagues on the Springfield campus?

  • Collaborative activities: joint seminars, internships, cross-teaching
  • Separate travel budget supplement, or even a university-funded shuttle service
  • Improve Mountain Grove living environment (see other charges)
  • More publicity for Mountain Grove campus & its activities
  • Tourism/Hospitality-related programmatic activities
  • Student residential needs at Mountain Grove (see charge 12 below)

How can the university improve the attractiveness of the campus for graduate students and interns, especially with respect to accommodation?
  • Accommodation – local donors?
  • Transport
  • Improve community living conditions

Given that all the activities on the Experiment Station are agricultural, should the university amalgamate the agricultural/consumer sciences into a college (by the appropriate name)? Apart from strengthening agriculture on the Mountain Grove campus, would such a move be an improvement on the current organizational structure. Given the importance of agriculture in this state, would such a college further enhance the new statewide positioning of the university?

It is recommended that the university group the agricultural/consumer sciences into a College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences (or College of Agriculture, Food, and Consumer Sciences). Arguments in favor of this are as follows:

  • This would further highlight the university’s commitment to the agricultural sciences, and its willingness to develop excellence in this area.
  • It would make it easier to attract funding to support present and future areas of excellence in the university’s agricultural/consumer science disciplines.
  • It would remedy the awkwardness in the current administrative setup, which makes it difficult to give structural or programmatic definition to the school.
  • There is enough critical mass of programs, students and facilities to make the college viable.
  • This idea has been discussed in this university for several years. It has the support of department heads in the school, and of many others within and outside the school.
  • Establishing the college would underscore the university’s recent statewide positioning, given that agriculture is a premier industry in this state.
  • It will give notice that this university is, and wants to remain, a significant player in Missouri’s agriculture, which continues to be a major powerhouse for economic growth in the state.
  • In other states, public universities with much lower relative rank have made similar commitments by creating colleges of agriculture (e.g. Southern Illinois University; California State at Fresno). Many people agree that given the current stature of Missouri State University, a college of agriculture and consumer sciences is a development whose time has come.