Some alumni criticize university's loss of hands-on experience

By CECILIA PARSONS

Capital Press

The controversy over activist Michael Pollan's appearance on campus has placed a spotlight on recent changes at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo's animal science department.

One of the most controversial was a decision to drop the department's highly regarded livestock judging team.

According to Andy Thulin, head of the animal science department, the school was not willing to spend $45,000 annually to send a team on the road to compete. However, former team members and alumni dispute it was a funding issue because they said private funds were offered.

One of the most outspoken observers of the animal science department is former instructor Bill Jacobs, who coached the Cal Poly livestock judging team when it gained national prominence. Jacobs, who now resides in Oklahoma, blames Thulin for the demise of the team and other problems he sees with the current program. Advisory council members have left, Jacobs said, because their input was not considered.

At one time, Jacobs said, Cal Poly was ranked as the second-best agriculture department nationwide, right behind Ohio State University. Graduates were sought-after because employers knew the students had hands-on experience, he said. That is no longer the case -- students, especially those with strong backgrounds in production agriculture, are choosing schools in the Midwest over Cal Poly.

He cites the absence of animals at the school's swine unit as an example of misplaced priorities. Enterprise projects in the animal units and internships were powerful opportunities for students in past years, he said. Now, he noted, traditions have been lost along with those opportunities.

Last year the department celebrated the grand opening of a fully automated $5 million feed plant on campus. The plant would make feed for the school's 400 head of beef cattle, 250 dairy cows, 50 sows and 500 piglets as well as horses and chickens, the department reported.

Now, the swine unit is empty except for 18 tortoises, which are being used in a research project. There are also plans to cut beef and dairy cattle numbers due to budget constraints, Thulin said.

The department is facing a deficit, he said, and the reduction in animal numbers is happening at the school just as in industry. Swine will return to the unit in January, he said.

"There's no state funding for these programs. We have to weather the storm," Thulin said. He said he's disappointed that a few people think the school is scuttling the livestock projects, but asserted that student numbers are holding strong.

Mike Smith, an alumnus who works at Harris Beef Co., said although he strongly disagrees with decisions made by the department, he is unwilling to walk away from the university. In an e-mail he said he is willing to give the decision-makers time to re-think the direction they have taken and address the concerns that have come to the forefront along with the Pollan issue.

Cecilia Parsons is a staff writer based in Ducor. E-mail: cparsons@capitalpress.com.