The agribusiness management major is designed to prepare a student for employment in fields such as agribusiness finance, international agriculture, agricultural marketing, resource economics, rural development and agricultural lending.

鈥淭here will soon be 9 billion people in the world, and food and water will be as important in this century as oil was in the last,鈥� said Dr. Douglas B. Palmer, president of 乱伦社区. 鈥淭his new major is part of our mission to prepare students to lead with a sense of values in a dynamic world while also serving the needs of our local and regional business community.鈥�

Students will learn principles associated with best practices for agricultural product development, profit maximization and investment planning. They will become familiar with accounting tools like balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements to analyze and improve agricultural operations. They will be taught to use quantitative tools such as statistics, accounting methods, computer programs and investment analysis to solve management and planning problems.

The curriculum for the agribusiness management major has been created by Culver-Stockton鈥檚 business faculty 鈥� Maria Berhorst, lecturer in business; James Cosgrove, professor in business administration; Tammy Ellison, director of institutional technology and design; Dr. Dell Ann Janney, professor of accounting and associate dean of experiential education and external relations; Jeanne Johnson, senior lecturer in management information systems; Eric Larson, senior lecturer in business; Dr. Matthew Osborn, assistant professor of business; John Reinhardt, lecturer in accounting; and Julie Straus, associate professor of accounting.

鈥淎gribusiness management is a natural fit for us, given our location and our already outstanding business programs,鈥� said Dr. Lauren Schellenberger, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. 鈥淥ur unique 12+3 academic calendar and experiential curriculum will allow our students to have multiple hands-on experiences in the agriculture industry, particularly through internships and travel study, that will make them exceptionally attractive to employers.鈥�

Culver-Stockton also is seeking qualified applicants for the position of assistant professor of agricultural business, a full-time position.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that farmers will have to produce more than 70 percent of the world鈥檚 food needs by 2050 to meet the needs of a population expected to surpass 9 million people. Well-known examples of agribusiness companies in the United States are Deere & Company, Cargill Corporation and Archer Daniels Midland Company.

A 2019 report by USA Today listed five agricultural and natural resources programs at colleges across the nation among the top 25 majors for employability. Culver-Stockton has been ranked as the top college or university in Missouri for job placement in 2019 and 2020, according to Zippia, Inc., a California-based national resource website with career information for job seekers.

With an enrollment of more than 1,000 students, Culver-Stockton now offers 44 undergraduate programs with the addition of the agribusiness management major.

Contact Straus, chair of the Business, Education and Law Division, at聽jstraus@culver.edu聽or 573-288-6314 to learn more about the agribusiness management major at Culver-Stockton.

CANTON, Mo. 鈥� First Bankers Trust Company, N.A., which has banking facilities in six west-central Illinois communities, presented a check for $5,000 to Dr. Douglas B. Palmer, president of 乱伦社区, on Thursday, Oct. 1. The donation has been designated for scholarships for minority students from Illinois.

Representatives from First Bankers Trust Company, N.A., were Senior Vice President Douglas R. Reed, Regional President David J. Rakers and President and Chief Executive Officer Allen W. Shafer.

Shafer noted that First Bankers Trust Company, N.A., has had a long history with Culver-Stockton, with several C-SC graduates serving as employees and board members. Many employees also have sent their children to school at C-SC.

鈥淲e wanted to do something to welcome Dr. Palmer to the community,鈥� Shafer said. 鈥淲e also know that minority communities have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus. Education is important to all people, but we wanted to direct this gift to help those students.鈥�

Ninety-seven percent of Culver-Stockton students receive some sort of financial aid. C-SC is ranked as the top college or university in Missouri for getting a job for the past two years, according to Zippia, Inc., a California-based national resource website with career information for job seekers.

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鈥淲e are thrilled to have so many new students joining us on campus this fall,鈥� said Dr. Lauren Schellenberger, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. 鈥淲e also know that our returning students are incredibly happy to be back home on 鈥榯he Hill,鈥� and we have been excited to welcome them back. We are focused on continuing to provide a safe and healthy learning and living environment during these disruptive times, and our enrollment numbers show that we are succeeding.鈥�

Total enrollment at Culver-Stockton is 1,003 students. It marks the sixth consecutive year that the total enrollment has topped more than 1,000 students. Total enrollment consists of full-time students (857) and part-time students 鈥� high school students taking dual credit courses, online students and graduate students.

This year鈥檚 incoming freshman class of 251 students marks the seventh consecutive year that number has been larger than 250.

All enrollment figures were taken on Aug. 28, the census date for the College. The census date is a day set by the college that typically marks the end of the add/drop period. On this day, the College takes a 鈥渟napshot鈥� of all students鈥� enrollment, and those figures become the official enrollment that is used for both state reporting and financial aid eligibility.

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As he takes over during a time of political unrest and a pandemic that has gripped the world, Palmer says now is a time of transition for all colleges and universities.

鈥淭his may be a transition that鈥檚 welcomed and necessary,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his may be a good time to reinvent ourselves. It鈥檚 an opportunity for me to learn about Culver-Stockton and the Tri-State area, and it鈥檚 an opportunity for all of us to do some soul searching about what we鈥檙e trying to provide 鈥� not just for our students but also for a broader society.鈥�

Palmer鈥檚 first day on the job was July 1, 2020. He replaces Dr. Kelly M. Thompson, who retired after six years as president. Before coming to Culver-Stockton, Palmer served as provost, vice president of academic affairs and dean at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, since 2015.

Plans call for students to return to the Culver-Stockton campus in August. Palmer says a comprehensive plan for the fall that addresses changes for faculty, staff and students related to the COVID-19 virus is going to 鈥渃ome out in the next week or so.鈥�

鈥淲e have to balance the need to bring the community back together with safety,鈥� he said. 鈥淣obody can learn if he or she feels physically threatened or uncomfortable. People need to feel safe. They have to be fed, they have to be sheltered and they have to have a sense of physical security before you can start thinking of higher order things.

鈥淲hen we entered into the pandemic shutdown, every state declared education to be an essential service. We鈥檙e not going to forget that. We owe it to our students and our society to try to bring people back to form our community as soon as we can safely do so.鈥�

Palmer says colleges and universities across the nation learned during the spring semester that an education can be offered in many formats. Most C-SC students last met in a classroom setting on March 6 before taking a two-week spring break. Classes resumed March 23 via online learning.

鈥淲e know we can effectively teach classes without a student ever stepping out of their home,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淗owever, every single student I鈥檝e spoken with has said what they miss is the social interaction with their peers, their faculty and other staff. That sense of community is really missing, and we鈥檝e reminded ourselves that the point of an education is not just to simply aggregate a whole series of credit hours that end up as a bachelor鈥檚 degree, there鈥檚 much more to an education that goes with it.鈥�

Palmer says there are lessons to be learned living on campus, getting involved in student life and participating in college athletics. These are transferrable skills that students will need in any work setting.

鈥淓very employer will tell you they鈥檙e not looking for people with a bunch of credit hours,鈥� he said. 聽鈥淲hat they鈥檙e looking for are problem solvers and creative thinkers who can be part of a team. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing here in a residential experience. If we limit ourselves to the online education, we鈥檙e not providing students the opportunity to pick up all those things we need them to do to be successful employees and to function in a civic society. In an increasingly multicultural multiethnic pluralistic society, I think that鈥檚 more important than ever.鈥�

As the start of classes nears, Palmer says everyone on campus must 鈥渄o their part鈥� to ensure a return on investment that students and families are making when they choose to attend Culver-Stockton.

鈥淲e鈥檙e helping develop the workforce of the 21st century,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have 鈥榳ork-ready Wildcats鈥� walking out the door. Our job is not to get graduates ready for jobs of right now. We鈥檙e preparing them for jobs that don鈥檛 yet exist. No one thought of majoring in website design 20 years ago.

鈥淭he first website designers were people with backgrounds in liberal arts with adaptable skills in communication, graphic design and the arts. That鈥檚 part of the value of a liberal arts education. We鈥檙e not just training technicians. We鈥檙e also training people to be thinkers who are adaptable for a workforce that is changing. That鈥檚 what we have to articulate to our students and to our alumni.鈥�

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