Summary - A Look Back and A Look Ahead
The purpose of a historical study of an organization is more than merely to satisfy idle curiosity about the past - it is to recognize and honor those who contributed to the founding, past successes and setting of the course for the organization. It is also to learn from the past so that opportunities and challenges of the future may be successfully met.
The success story of Soil Science at NC State can be attributed to the vision and foresight of the earlier administrators and educators in the School (now College) of Agriculture and Life Sciences and by the University administration; the dedication, loyalty and wisdom of the departmental faculty and staff; the continuing solid support from the state's citizens; and the Positive and forward-looking actions of the state's agricultural, educational and political leadership. The recent addition to Williams Hall is brick-and-mortar evidence of that support. This support has come from the policy of involving the people in the planning of programs, keeping them well-informed and most importantly - the policy of keeping the programs current and relevant to the needs of the state. Another strong success factor has been the continuing good cooperation with and support of the NC Department of Agriculture and the USDA's Soil Conservation Service and Agricultural Research Service.
The Soil Science Department has been able to avoid the pattern we sometimes observed elsewhere - in which there has from time-to-time been an outstanding department for a period of years, followed by periods in which the program reverts to a lower status of recognition and achievement. This has been avoided in the Soil Science Department by maintaining a mix of experienced and active "old hands" and "young comers". by continuing efforts on part of the faculty and administration to keep the research and teaching programs up-to-date, and by an effective and aggressive extension program which has provided feedback on the research and educational needs of the state and carried research results to all parts of the state.
The program has been able to maintain a well-balanced mix of basic and applied research. No other Department in the country can claim the distinction of having one of its top professors receive a national award for applied research excellence as well as an Honorary Doctorate (E.J. Kamprath, 1986) in the same time period other professors (including W.A. Jackson and R.J. Volk) in the Department were receiving national and international recognition for very basic, on-the-frontier research.
The challenges and problems which lie ahead for the department seem even more demanding than those of the past. Based on past performance, continued sound leadership, excellent personnel and continuing public support, we can be assured the department will meet these challenges as successfully as it has those in the past.
This page last modified 1/15/03.