Good morning. My name's Tim Marshall and I serve as the Dean of Agriculture & Natural Resources at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. I'd like to address today a question that I'm asked fairly often, which is, "Why do so many people think that ABAC is so uniquely qualified to meet the needs of young people who are interested in careers in agriculture and natural resources?" There are a number of reasons why I think that's true.

One of those is basically our culture. If you look at the culture on campus, it reeks of agriculture and natural resources. We have a heritage. We have a history. We've been in the business of agriculture for over 100 years and certainly as you walk around campus, you get a feel for being in a small, agrarian kind of a campus.

Certainly environment as being in Tifton, Georgia is one plus. We have so many different groups in the Tifton area. We have a synergistic relationship with people like the University of Georgia Tifton campus, USDA, Department of Agriculture from Georgia, as well as the Peanut Commission, the Georgia Pecan Association and many other industries and public agencies that are there around Tifton, Georgia.

The methodology that we use for teaching on campus is very, very supportive of our young people leaving as graduates, who not only understand the principles of their education, but know how to apply those in the work force. So, if you look at our curriculum, it's full of courses that allow us to go out and use our 200 acre teaching farm, certainly our nature studies center, as well as our "9‑Hole Teaching Golf Course."

Our students actually know how to apply those principles once they meet the work force. As we respond to this question in public, "Why do we think that we're uniquely qualified?" we're no different than any other institution in terms of the curriculum that addresses the needs of ag and natural resources. But we hope that we've created an environment that is enhanced by the clubs, the organizations on campus and the industry that we embrace. We put it all together to make sure that our students are able to meet the needs of the employers quickly after graduation.