Abstract
Effective academic advising is essential to the development and growth of undergraduate programs in horticulture. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the interest in gardening, concern for the environment, and ecology movement all brought large numbers of students into horticulture, more than many departments could handle effectively. In the 1980s this trend has reversed, as indicated by the decline in number of horticulture students. Attracting students through recruiting programs now has become common practice.
The average undergraduate horticulture major at the Univ. of Florida Academic Program at Fort Lauderdale is 38 years old. The older, non-traditional student population is quite diverse, but many individuals are motivated by a desire to change careers, and many of them have taken extensive academic course work at other institutions prior to applying for admission to the Univ. of Florida. Academic advisement of this type of student presents a substantial challenge because of the uncertainty of content and vigor of prior academic preparation. To help meet this challenge, we have developed several academic advisement checklists that indicate numbers and titles of critical preprofessional and general education courses from the academic institutions that have been most frequently attended by the highest numbers of the incoming non-traditional students. These checklists have been cross-referenced between the catalogs of the various academic institutions and the Univ. of Florida catalog. We use these documents to evaluate the academic preparation of incoming transfer students and to assist them in making correct course selections to remedy any academic deficiencies that could negatively influence their success in upper division horticulture course work.
curricula, student advising, and/or teaching methods including, but not limited to case studies, laboratory exercises, computer software, or other teaching aids that are broadly applicable to Horticulture. ( ASHS 1997 ) For eligibility, at least one author
Recipients of a monthly horticultural job opportunities newsletter and firms or organizations listing positions in the newsletter were surveyed to determine the perceived value of the newsletter as a job search and recruitment tool, respectively. Survey information was used to develop a profile of the individuals and organizations using the newsletter. Original position descriptions on which the briefer newsletter listings were based were used to develop a profile of the industry segment, degree and/or experience requirements, geographic location, and starting salaries and benefits of positions listed from January 1993 to December 1994. While the newsletter generated contact between prospective employees and employers, only 20% of the prospective employees received job offers by responding to newsletter listings. The newsletter was valued more by individual recipients as a job search tool than by institutional recipients or private industry as a recruitment tool. Starting salaries of listed positions were comparable to those previously reported in industry and academic surveys. Foreign language skills and previous work experience were requested more frequently than above-minimum (typically 2.00) grade point averages or completion of government or industry certification programs. Landscape-related disciplines constituted most BS or BA positions listed, whereas advanced degree positions were distributed more evenly over horticulture-related disciplines. Data supported the inclusion of internship programs and foreign language requirements in horticulture curricula.
progression resulting in unmarketable plants. In light of the results of this study, frequent scouting and fungicide applications for powdery mildew are advised. Literature Cited Adams, G.C. Gottwald, T.R. Leach, C.M. 1986 Environmental factors initiating
results were obtained with regard to the IRR, with the average returns for the stochastic and deterministic models being 10.9% and 16.2%, respectively. Despite the favorable outcome of the analysis, southern Florida growers are advised to proceed with
survey was conducted in 2011 by Proxmity Designs’ impact team among 54 extension workers (from 54 townships) from all three regions. Staff reported on their experiences using Water Wheels that year in advising a total of 456 farmers with 763 new drip
inside the high tunnels. In both regions, but particularly in the warmer region, San José Ocoa, growers were advised to use well-ventilated high tunnels, such as structures with plastic film on the top and screen net on the sides. Others strategies such
applications of active frost protection methods vary from location to location, across crop types, and type of cold weather event (e.g., advective or radiative freezes) ( Longstroth, 2012 ). While there are various research and outreach publications advising
cultivars studied here are half-sibs ( Clark et al., 2005 ), which may have reduced variability. Sampling cultivars separately for tissue analysis would still be advised to better manage nutrient programs ( Hart et al., 2006a ). Conclusions The findings of