Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with the new Dean and Vice President of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Jayson Lusk. Hays and Lusk talk about Lusk’s return to OSU after several years and his priorities going forward.
Lusk said there were a number of factors that pulled him back to OSU.
“One is just the importance of agriculture in this state, and the ability to have an impact on students,” Lusk said. “Really strong enrollment growth in the college of agriculture that attracts students from all over the country. Moreover, the importance of agriculture to the university is clear. The university’s strategic plan really highlights important parts of agriculture that they see as important to the future of the university.”
Lusk said that on the priority list for the President of OSU, Dr. Kayse Shrum, is investing in extension. Dr. Shrum’s interest in the integration of health and agriculture, Lusk said, is a new opportunity for the ag college.
“I look forward to working with her in a partnership that I think is fairly unique even when you look across land grand universities that have a president that really has this focus on agriculture,” Lusk said.
Oklahoma State University is expecting the largest freshman class in its history, Lusk said, this year on campus.
“In the Ferguson College of Agriculture, we have about 2800 undergraduate students with us this year, so we are a little bit up from last year, and we have also experienced some strong growth over the last decade,” Lusk said. “It is a great time to be at Oklahoma State.”
Construction is well underway for the New Frontiers Ag Hall, Lusk said, and he anticipates classes will be held in the new building in the fall of 2024.
“It is a fantastic new facility with a lot of student-facing spaces, student-facing laboratories, and, of course, high-end research labs as well,” Lusk said. “It is going to be a wonderful new building where instead of working in 1940s and 50s era facilities, we can really put ourselves in a spot to be doing cutting-edge research and really having that impact on students as well.
Regarding the wheat industry, Lusk said student outcome priorities include increasing agricultural productivity and sustainability, adding value to commodities produced in the state, and diversification opportunities.
It is critical that OSU’s wheat breeding program continues to have the same impact on the industry that it has accomplished over many decades, Lusk added.
