Dear editor:

In the Rant and Rave column in Sunday’s edition of The Tifton Gazette there was a comment about the beautiful new signage that has been added to the UGA Tifton Campus. The person who sent the comment seems confused about how the signs were purchased for the campus, so I’d like to clear up any misconceptions you all may have.

I am quite proud of the much-needed new signage and building renovations recently completed at UGA Tifton. The investment by the state of Georgia in our university and in our campus has proven to pay significant dividends to the Tifton-area community and to the state. I have gotten innumerable compliments on what we have done to beautify our campus and our community.

In August, we kicked off the Centennial Celebration of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station, now the Tifton Campus. Over the past 100 years, the research and extension efforts of this campus developed an international reputation of excellence and local affinity for generous help and support.

If you look back five or six years, these buildings, grounds, and signage begged for renewal. Our progress has been great; the improvements have been a huge and functional improvement.

While our student numbers are relatively small at UGA Tifton, it is a growing and important part of our teaching, research and extension mission. Because students must have completed 60 hours of course work to be accepted at UGA Tifton, we are half the size we would be if we could take students as freshmen.

The University of Georgia was just named No. 13 among the Best Public Universities by U.S. News and World Report. Graduates from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences command the second highest starting salaries of all 20 colleges and schools at the University, and are annually among the top three in in jobs, professional or graduate schools placement. Our students in Tifton are proud to be a part of this remarkable record. We have a 95 percent employment rate for our students, a very high percentage of whom remain in south Georgia to live and work, and to be leaders in their field.

It is most appropriate that we prepare our campus for its second century of service. In addition to the attractive signage we added, we have renovated the two original historic buildings on our campus, providing space for some of the best agricultural scientists in the world. The University of Georgia is the flagship institution for our state, and it is very important and appropriate that our campus reflect that image. Apparently the Georgia General Assembly felt the same, as they generously appropriated the necessary funds for these renovations.

In addition to a small but excellent teaching program, we are doing far-reaching, cutting-edge research in many agricultural fields. We have about 76 Ph.D.’s in many agricultural disciplines dedicated to advancing the number one industry in our state, and finding ways to ensure that we will be able to feed a growing global population, while supporting the economy of southwest Georgia.

Thanks for this opportunity to clarify and explain the rationale for improvements at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus.

Sincerely,

Joe W. West

Assistant Dean

University of Georgia Tifton Campus