INDUSTRY EDUCATION

EDITOR ’ S NOTE : The following is the first in a series delving into colleges and universities that offer programs devoted to turfgrass management , turfgrass science , and related disciplines . We will profile various colleges and universities through conversations with key players at major institutions , as we discuss their programs and provide insight into the industry education that is available to the next generation of sports field managers .

In this issue of SportsField Management , we examine the turfgrass programs at Texas A & M University and Iowa State University .

TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY The Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A & M University is one of the largest departments of its kind in the nation and is preeminent throughout the world . Students have the option to choose between two handson , science-based majors : B . S . in Turfgrass Science or B . S . in Plant & Environmental Soil Science ( Crops Emphasis or Soil and Water Emphasis ).

Additionally , the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A & M University offers minors in Agronomy , Environmental Soil Science , and Plant Breeding .

Through a network of research , extension , and teaching programs , Texas A & M has provided solutions based on sound research , extensive outreach educational programs and assistance through statewide and county extension activities .

Research efforts strive to integrate urban landscape systems to enhance quality of life , develop improved technologies for the management of weeds , diseases , insects , and other important pests , develop turf systems to reduce impact of environmental pollutants , and develop landscape management systems that conserve natural resources .

According to Chase Straw , Ph . D ., assistant professor , turfgrass management and physiology at Texas A & M University , the university ’ s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences currently has more than 20 students majoring in Turfgrass Science , and he anticipates those numbers increasing in coming years .

“ We had nine freshman applicants in 2021 that applied to be a Turfgrass Science major , and only two got accepted . So , it is a pretty low acceptance rate ,” he said . “ However , we have a lot of transfers from junior colleges , and that is how we get a lot of our students . Our recruiting efforts are geared more toward junior colleges . We try to persuade students that once they get their two-year associate ’ s degree at a junior college to transfer into the Texas A & M Turfgrass Science program , because it is a lot easier to transfer in than it is to get accepted initially .”

28 SportsField Management | January 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com