The agriculture department is being considered for elimination or may receive undergoing cuts at Ventura College after the spring semester 2012 due to a lack of funds in the budget.
This is only one of a number of programs on campus that are under consideration for elimination or cuts for the following terms.
The inner disciplinary approach to the agriculture program is to educate the students and prepare them for transfer readiness to a four-year university. There are approximately 150 students in a two-year cycle, and 40 students that participate in the agriculture club.
Landscape management and natural resource conservation are the certificate programs that are part of the Associate's Degree program, as well as plant science.
The courses currently being offered on campus are plant biology, soil and water science, plant identification, insect and disease, landscape management and conservation of natural resources. The AG department serves a great deal of the surrounding communities with its contributions and knowledge of the environmental sciences.
William Budke, a Ventura College AG professor who has a Bachelor's degree in agriculture-environmental science and a Master's degree in AG and soil science, says he is profoundly upset due to the potential cuts in his department.
"This program is up for elimination because we brought people in that have little to none experience," said Budke. "Having been a former administrator myself, the decision process is set from personal bias within the administration. I know the process and how the decisions are made. It's like smoking mirrors." [A reference to the great disappearing act done at a circus or with an illusion on stage where he makes the girl disappear.]
According to Budke, not only do these expenditures compromise his livelihood, but they will also be a severe negative catalyst in the learning process for the entire student body that wishes to take on this craft.
Budke plans on meeting with the President and some of the board members Thursday evening to find out exactly what cuts are going to be made in his department.
Expected changes in the curriculum could start as early as Fall semester 2012.
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