College life. Now that is a statement that brings back many fond memories of trudging up and down Old Main Hill to a variety of classes at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. It is a place that changed the course of my life and is very much responsible for me writing this article today. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
I say this because there are many students, parents and grandparents who are right now looking at the future. When the decision to choose a college is brought up, the choices and possibilities seem daunting, even confusing at times. I vividly remember the hours I spent going over literature, letters, brochures and finally visits to a variety of campuses while trying to make the best decision for me.
While I can’t make that decision for anyone except myself, I have spent the last several weeks contacting colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada assembling the following information. It is presented here as a starting point to make contacts and get the information you need to make an informed choice. There are some institutions that we contacted to confirm information which did not return phone calls or e-mail messages. Therefore, they are, unfortunately, not included in this list of colleges that offer either dairy or animal science programs. Progressive Dairy Publishing does not endorse, recommend or prefer any institution listed over another that may or may not be listed. This list is provided as a service to our readers. Institutions not included that wish to be included in future, similar lists should contact Walt Cooley at walt@progressivedairy.com
Before we get to the list, I would also like to share a few pointers that were repeatedly expressed by these institutions. They might not apply in every situation but most colleges encouraged them.
Start early
You can never start too early when it comes to college selection. The more you know, the better your decision will be. Contact any school you think you might be considering and find out all you can about their admission processes. It is best to keep your options open, since opportunities you might not have thought about can spring up.
Financial aid
This also goes for scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Here again, the more you know, the better off you will be. Nearly all colleges and universities have scholarships available through their individual departments. These are in addition to those that are academic-based. It is best to contact each school directly to determine if you are eligible and find out about application requirements.
I will personally state here that I made it all the way through college (five years, including three summers) without taking out a student loan. Yes, I saved early on in my youth, but the bulk of my higher education was paid for with scholarships of many shapes and sizes. While there was a lot of legwork up front, it all paid off in the long run. If you really want to go to college, there is a way to make it. I firmly believe that.
Get in front of the decision makers
Once you have narrowed down your list of choices, it will pay off to make a visit to the campuses you are seriously considering. In addition, make sure you meet with the people who will be working with you in your area of educational focus. In many cases, they are also involved in selecting students for departmental scholarships, so a name with a face will go a long way. It is important to remember they do have your best interests in mind, and in many cases they are competing with others for you to come to their school. This is your choice, and these are the people that will help you once you get there.
Get involved
Once you have made your final decision and have been accepted to a college, find out about the extras that are offered. Most have student organizations directly related to the dairy industry or animal science department. Look for ways to get involved with like-minded students. This is a good way to find out more about the inner workings of the university and the department, while forging friendships that will last for a long time. The more involved you become with the faculty and students you will be spending time with, the easier life will be.
With that said, here is a list of colleges and universities that responded to a request for information from Progressive Dairy Publishing.
University of Arizona
Dept. of Animal Science
237 Shantz Bldg.
P.O. Box 210038
Tucson, AZ 85721
(520) 621-9965
Contact: Tracy McMurphy
e-mail: tracyhm@email.arizona.edu
website: http://animal.cals.arizona.edu
California Polytechnic State University
Dairy Science Dept.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
(805) 756-2560
Contact: Stan Henderson
E-mail: shenders@calpoly.ed
Website: www.calpoly.edu/~dsci
Clemson University
Animal & Vet Science Dept.
P.O. Box 340311, Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634-0311
(864) 656-4019
Contact: Glenn Birrenkott
e-mail: gbrrnkt@CLEMSON.EDU
website: www.clemson.edu/avs/
Colorado State University
Department of Animal Sciences
Colorado State University
Fort Collins CO 80523-1171
(970) 491-1442
Contact: Cheryl Miller
e-mail: cheryl.miller@colostate.edu
website: www.colostate.edu/Dept/AnimSci/index.html
University of Connecticut
Department of Animal Science
3636 Horsebarn Rd. Ext.
Storrs, CT 06269-4040
(860) 486-0803
Contact: Dr. Sheila Andrew
e-mail: sheila.andrew@uconn.edu
website: www.canr.uconn.edu/ansci
Cornell University
272 Morrison Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-2877
Contact: David Galton
e-mail: dmg20@cornell.edu
website: www.ansci.cornell.edu
Delaware Valley College
700 E. Butler Ave
Doylestown, PA 18901
(215) 489-2325
Contact: Larry D. Morris
e-mail: morrisl@devalcol.edu
website: www.devalcol.edu
University of Florida
Department of Animal Sciences
PO Box 110910
Gainesville, Florida 32611
(352) 392-5590
Contact: Don Sloan
e-mail: sloan@animal.ufl.edu
website: www.animal.ufl.edu/dairy/
University of Georgia
Department of ADS
425 River Road
Athens, GA 30602-2771
Contact: T. Dean Pringle
e-mail: dpringle@uga.edu
website: www.ads.uga.edu/
University of Guelph
150 Research Lane, # 205
Guelph, ON N1H 4T2
Toll Free: 1-888-622-2474
Local: 519-824-4120 X 56607
Fax # :519-836-0661
E-Mail: plago@uoguelph.ca
MBA Web Site: www.mba.uoguelph.ca
MA (Leadership) Web Site: www.leadership.uoguelph.ca
University of Idaho
Dept. of Animal and Veterinary Sci
P.O. Box 442330
Moscow, ID, 83844-2330
(208) 885-7409
Contact: Amin Ahmadzadeh
e-mail: amin@uidaho.edu
website: www.avs.uidaho.edu
University of Illinois
Department of Animal Science
1207 W. Gregory Dr.
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3462
Contact: Neal Merchen
e-mail: nmerchen@uiuc.edu
website: www.ansci.uiuc.edu
Iowa State University
Department of Animal Science
123 Kildee Hall
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-6021
Contact: M. Douglas Kenealy
e-mail: dkenealy@iastate.edu
website: www.ans.iastate.edu
Kansas State University
136 Call Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-1600
(785) 532-6131
Contact: John F. Smith
e-mail: jfsmith@k-state.edu
website: www.asi.ksu.edu
Eastern Kentucky University
Department of Agriculture
A.B. Carter Building
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY 40475
(859) 622-2228
Contact: Bruce R. Pratt
e-mail: bruce.pratt@eku.edu
website: www.agriculture.eku.edu
University of Kentucky
409 W.P. Garrigus Bldg.
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40546-0215
(859) 257-7545
Contact: Bill Silvia
e-mail: wsilvia@uky.edu
website: www.uky.edu/agriculture/animalsciences/ukdas.html
Louisiana State University
School of Animal Sciences
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
(225) 578-4411
Contact: Bruce F. Jenny
e-mail: bjenny@agcenter.lsu.edu
website: www.lsu.edu/dairyscience/dairysc.htm
University of Maine
Jim Weber, DVM, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Undergraduate Coordinator
5735 Hitchner Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5735
(207) 581-2774
Contact: James Weber
E-mail: jweber@umext.maine.edu
Contact: Martin Stokes
e-mail: stokes@maine.edu
Website: www.umaine.edu/animlvet
Michigan State University
MSU Department of Animal Science
1250 Anthony Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824
(517) 432-5443
Contact: Miriam Weber Nielsen
e-mail: msw@msu.edu
website: www.ans.msu.edu
University of Minnesota- Crookston
UTOC 123
2900 University Ave.
Crookston, MN 56716
(218) 281-8107
Contact: Hardovna Maiga
e-mail: hmaiga@umn.edu
website: www.crk.umn.edu
University of Minnesota St. Paul
265F Haecker Hall, 1356 Eckles Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
(612) 624-2277
Contact: Les Hanson
e-mail: hanse009@umn.edu
website: www.ansci.umn.edu
University of Missouri – Columbia
S108 Animal Sciences Center
920 East Campus Drive
Columbia, MO 65211-5300 USA
(573) 882-1381
University of New Hampshire
102D Dairy Nutrition Research Center, 30 O’Kane Road, UNH,
Durham, NH 03824
Contact: Peter Erickson
e-mail: peter.erickson@unh.edu
website: www.anscandnutr.unh.edu
New Mexico State University
Dept. of Animal and Range Science
Knox Hall Box 30003, MSC 3-I
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
(505) 646-2514
e-mail: anrsknox@nmsu.edu
website: www.cahe.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs
North Carolina State University
College of Ag and Life Sciences
115 Patterson Hall, Box 7642
Raleigh, NC 27695-7642
(919) 515-2614
Contact: Dr. Steven Washburn
e-mail: Steve_Washburn@ncsu.edu
website: www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/home/home.html
Ohio State University
116 Plumb Hall, 2027 Coffey Rd.
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-7156
Contact: Amy Lahmers
E-mail: lahmers.8@osu.edu
Website: http://ansci.osu.edu/
Oklahoma State University
101 Animal Science Building
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-6062
Contact: Donald G. Wagner
e-mail: don.wagner@okstate.ed
website: www.ansi.okstate.edu
Oregon State University
Mike Gamroth Department of Animal Science
112 Withycombe Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-6702
(541) 737-3316
Contact: Mike Gamroth
e-mail: Mike.Gamroth@oregonstate.edu
website: www.oregonstate.edu/dept/animal-sciences/dairy/
Penn State University
324 Henning Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-4198
Contact: Jana L. Peters
e-mail: jpeters@psu.edu
website: www.das.psu.edu
Purdue University
Department of Animal Sciences
915 W. State St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
(765) 494-4808
Contact: Dr. Mickey Latour
e-mail: mlatour@purdue.edu
website: www.ces.purdue.edu/dairy
Ridgewater College
P.O. Box 1097
Willmar, MN 56201
(320)231-7647
Contact: Brant J. Groen
e-mail: brant.groen@ridgewater.edu
website: www.ridgewater.edu
South Dakota State University
Dairy-Micro Bldg. Room 109, Box 2104
Brookings, SD 57007-0467
(605) 688-4116
Contact: Vikram V. Mistry
e-mail: vikram.mistry@sdstate.edu
website: http://dairysci.sdstate.edu
Utah State University
Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences Department
4815 Old Main Hill
Utah State University
Logan UT 84322-4815
Contact: Tami Spackman
(435) 797-2150
e-mail: tami.spackman@usu.edu
University of Vermont
Department of Animal Science
102 Terrill, 570 Main Street
Burlington, VT. 05405-0148
(802) 656-0155
Contact: Helen Maciejewski
e-mail: Helen.Maciejewski@uvm.edu
website: www.asci.uvm.edu/
Virginia Tech
2440 Litton Reaves Hall, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0315
(540) 231-4772
Contact: Michael A. Barnes
e-mail: barnesm@vt.edu
website: www.dasc.vt.edu
Washington State
University Department of Animal Sciences
PO Box 646310
Pullman, WA 99164-6310
(509) 335-5523
Contact: Larry Fox
e-mail: fox@wsu.edu
website: www.ansci.wsu.edu
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Department of Dairy Science
266 Animal Science Bldg
1675 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1284
(608) 263-3308
Contact: Sarah Lederer
e-mail: smlederer@wisc.edu
website: www.wisc.edu/dysci/dept.htm PD
Darren Olsen, Editor for Progressive Dairy Publishing
