Mission Statement

Mission Statement:
•	Provide students with career skills in agriculture business management. Emphasis is placed on the development of skills in accounting, marketing, economics, business management, and human relations.

•	Provide required support courses for students majoring in Environmental Horticulture, Heavy Equipment Operation, Agriculture Science, Welding, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Studies.

•	Provide CSU and UC articulated transfer courses in the field of agriculture. 

Program Description

Program Description:
The following six Agriculture Business (AB) courses are offered each year and are required for the Agriculture Business Associates Degree.
AB 20 Orientation to Agriculture and Natural Resources (f)
AB 22 Agricultural Economics (f)
AB 25 Computer Applications in Agriculture (f)
AB 50 Agricultural Accounting (f)
AB 26 Introduction to Agriculture Business (s)
AB 54 Elements of Supervision (s)
	F= fall semesters
	S=spring semesters

Required Support Courses of the Agriculture Business Associates Degree:

AGR 10 World Food and Hunger Issues
AET 30 Tractors and Crawlers
AGS 50 Soils
AGR 99 Work Experience
PLS 20 Plant Science or ANS 20 Animal Science or EH 33 Environmental Plants Science

The students enrolled in the Agriculture Business classes do so for several purposes; 
1)	They are agriculture business majors, 2) it is required for a major other than agriculture business, 3) skill enhancement.

All agriculture business courses are offered on the main campus. We have tried offerings at the Glenn Center but enrollment was low and the classes had to be canceled. Classes at the Glenn Center may be a viable option given higher levels of promotion. Nearly all agriculture business students enroll in general education classes in addition to their major course work.

AB classes have shifted to block scheduling. Block scheduling makes enrollment in the AB program more practical for working students. Nearly all of our students work as least part-time. In addition, most general education courses are also block scheduled, so this change has made it easier for students to construct an efficient schedule. 

A general education course was added by Bruce Hicks: AGR 10 World Food and Hunger Issues. The target audience is all CSU & UC transferring students. It has become very popular with students from across campus and has been included as a required class for the Sustainable Studies certificate.

Enrollment has been steady at between 32-35 students in all AB sections. Wait lists fill early and many instances there is not enough room for all students wishing to enroll. Retention is above 90%. Over half the students come from outside the region covered by the twelve nearest high schools with vocational agriculture programs. Most (over 90%) agriculture business majors at Butte College express the intent to transfer to a four year institution. Chico State and Cal Poly are the most popular destinations. The average age is 20 years. Most students work as least part-time during the school year.

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

The two primary program SLOs for AB reflect learning outcome objectives in both core AB classes, AB 22 Ag Econ and AB 50 Ag Accounting.  Hands-on and interactive group projects have been utilized in Ag Econ in order to enhance student success in understanding agricultural markets so that they possess the necessary skills to analyze economic conditions.  In Ag Accounting, students work with agricultural specific problem sets so that they learn to accumulate, record, and analyze agricultural financial data.  Ultimately, AB faculty are working on teaching strategies and methodologies to incorporate more engaged lessons and problem sets in the classroom to facilitate greater student achievement in all AB classes. 
Fall 2016, using first mid-term assessment to identify students that have not acquired foundation knowledge necessary for successful course and program outcomes. In order to accomplish this more time will be spent on subject areas that are identified as needing more attention based on student performance on quizzes, exams, and practice sets. This will be achieved by hands-on and interactive class activities that address student deficiencies as identified through the quizzes, exams, and practice sets. 

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (OSLED Departments)

Indicator	Source	College			Program
		2014-2015	Standard	Six Year Goal	Fall 2011	Fall 2012	Fall 2013	Fall 2014	Fall 2015	Standard	Six Year Goal
Access
-          Unduplicated Headcount	PDR	12,691			143	131	143	149	145
Course Success
-          Overall	PDR	70.6%	70.0%	73.0%
-          Transfer/GE	PDR	71.7%		73.0%
-          CTE	PDR	75.3%		77.0%	83.1%	72.4%	80.7%	80.5%	79.6%	70.0%	83.0%
-          Basic Skills	PDR	51.7%		55.0%
-          Distance Ed (all)	PDR	62.6%		64.0%
Persistence (Focused).  Note:  The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the State Student Success Scorecard that is used to measure institutional persistence.  The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area.	PDR	71.8%	67.0%	75.0%	33.3%	44.9%	40.5%	36.4%	26.2%	30.0%	45.0%
		(Three-Term) Scorecard	(Three-Term) Scorecard	(Three-Term) Scorecard
Degrees - annual	PDR	1,421		1,475	9	14	11	6	10	5	15
Certificate of Achievement (CA) - annual	PDR	814		475	3	3	9	7	0	3	10
Local Certificate (CC) - annual	PDR	518
Developmental Strand Completion
-          English	State	43.7%		45.0%
-          Math	State	33.8%		35.0%
-          ESL	State	42.9%		45.0%
Licensure Pass Rates
-          Registered Nursing	SC	92.0%	85.0%
-          Licensed Vocational Nursing	SC	87.0%	85.0%
-          Respiratory Therapy	SC	97.0%	80.0%
-          Paramedic	SC	85.0%	75.0%
-          Cosmetology	SC	86.0%	75.0%
-          Welding	SC	92.0%	85.0%
Job Placement Rates	PIV	80.0%	60.0%	70.0%

 The AB Department is in compliance with the standards. 1. Success rates for this program are in the mid/high-range of the past five years (72% - 83%).  The AB department faculty plans to maintain success at present levels by training faculty in skill development (cutting edge) and by faculty advising our students careers and pathways. 2. Degree production is at the low end of the five-year range (6-14). Certificate production is at the higher end of the five-year range (3-9). The AB Department can help increase the number of degrees and certificates it generates by helping students become more aware of the degrees and certificates available and encourage them to apply. Most of our students are transfer bound and do not intend to earn a degree from Butte College. They are focused on earning a degree from a four-year institution. 3. Focused Persistence is now 26.2%. This is at the low end of the five-year range (26.2% to 44.9%). This, in combination with very high fill rates, shows that there is demand for this program but limitations in meeting that demand.  We have added an additional section of AB 22 that filled immediately. We are in need of another faculty to take on the course load.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

Strategic Direction

The AB Department is supporting the college in meeting its strategic direction and priorities by:

Enhancing a culture of completion and academic achievement
1.a.1 Guided Pathways Model - the AB Department advises our students about timelines and course sequencing that are needed for degrees and transfers in a timely manner. 
We place students appropriately, advise them effectively, and ensure that they have educational plans in order to achieve optimal success.
1.c Entry - Collaborating effectively with K - 12 to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum, and prepare students for college success.  We are active as a dept. in recruitment, curriculum alignment and student success at the K-12 level by working closely with K-12 institutions active in our CATA region.

Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
2.a.3. Student engagement - Providing effective electronically mediated communication (e.g. website, social media, marketing materials, wifi access).  We have developed program brochures and updated the program webpages with faculty profiles and current course listings.

Program Review

Our new hire Robert Landry has taken the lead in the AB Program which includes an advisory role.  After having reviewed the last Ag Dept. Program review, Robert has identified the following recommendations that are most relevant to the AB program:
1.  Maintain the strong foundations and practices they are currently providing students, through core agricultural standards, while embracing change in technology and practices.  Innovation is needed to keep current with industry demands.
Response:  AB faculty continue to update curriculum to meet the program review recommendations and industry needs by attending conferences and workshops and by obtaining and maintaining industry certifications.  Additionally, classroom facilities have been improved with various instructional related upgrades and technologies.  Collaboration with CSU Chico AB program for recruitment and transfer goals is ongoing and a priority.  We feel through this collaborative approach with our 4 year partner, we can keep visible while continuing to meet the needs of the industry.
2.  We recommend that the department continues to prioritize projects, look at data (labor market, industry need) to support the development of projects to pursue. Develop degrees and certificates to support career pathways. Develop a tracking system to help evaluate programs including student employment and skill sets.
Response:  We are working in combination with our Ag Advisory Committee to identify career pathways that are currently underserved by our AB Program offerings.  At our fall 2016 Ag Advisory meeting, we identified the potential for a Real Estate Appraisal Certificate in the AB program.  We are currently looking into this option as well as others as they are identified.

Department Goals

With enrollment in the AB program strong, department goals are to continue to strengthen ties to the ag industry for direction and job placement and the CSU Ag Business Program in order to both maintain curriculum alignment and to meet our transfer goals.  In order to accomplish these goals, the dept. established an AB/AGS advisory committee which meets every Fall semester.  The meeting proved very constructive and provided our faculty with valuable direction while strengthening our ties to the industry.  
Ultimately, we feel by prioritizing industry, the dept is supporting the college's strategic direction goal of increasing resources available to the district.  Furthermore, ongoing collaboration with CSU Chico Ag Bus dept will work towards the college's strategic direction of improving student access, equity, success and completion.  More specific strategies to meet these goals are outlined in the section below.

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests

Original Priority	Program, Unit, Area	Resource Type	Account Number	Object Code	One Time Augment	Ongoing Augment
Description	Supporting Rationale		Potential Alternative Funding Sources		Prioritization Criteria
1	Agriculture Business	Equipment			$3,400.00	$0.00
Replace classroom teaching computers in LS 127 & LS 137 (two desk top computers).	The computers in these classrooms are outdated and do not support modern software. We need two new desk top computers.		Instructional Equipment		Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals Maintaining life-cycle replacement for computer labs, smart classrooms, and faculty and staff computers
2	Agriculture	Personnel			$25,000.00	$0.00
Return Ag Staff positions to 100% (farm manager, nursery technician, mechanics)	During an economic downturn several years agao these positions were reduced to less than 100%, resulting in less hours worked. Since the cutbacks, enrollments in most of our programs have grown, necessitating the need for more hours of support.				Resolving health, life, and safety issues Maintaining core programs and services
3	Agriculture	Facilities			$930,425.00	$0.00
Student classroom chairs for LS 127	the student chairs in LS 127 are a mish mash of old chairs. Some chairs have bolts in the back upright that catch hair. Chairs are uncomfortable... Request is for the standard BC student chair, Torsion Back Sled Base, armless, prices and specs are from K Jones in facilities.		Scheduled Maintenance (Facilities)		Resolving health, life, and safety issues
4	Agriculture	Operating Expenses			$2,500.00	$0.00
Professional Development: Conference and Industry Meetings	The new Agriculture Business faculty is in his second year at BC. This is an ideal juncture for him to broaden his knowledge and skill base by attending conferences in his subject area. These conferences are also an ideal time to recruit students and build bridges to our industry partners.		Career and Technical Education - Perkins		Maintaining core programs and services
5	Agriculture	Equipment			$3,000.00	$0.00
Laboratory supplies for the Soils lab: buckets, glassware, nematode traps.	Soils is a core class in our curriculum. Equipment/supplies like those listed above are necessary periodically.		Career and Technical Education - Perkins		Maintaining core programs and services Addressing a shortfall identified during Student Learning (or administrative unit) Outcomes Assessment