Chapter 6 



Environmental Conservation, 



Computers, and Regional Research 



(1964-1974) 



New programs of study for under- 

 graduate students in the College of 

 Agriculture emerged during this 11- 

 year period commensurate with a 

 heightened awareness of the need for 

 conservation of the environment, 

 greater planning in community devel- 

 opment, increased use of electronic 

 computers in research, and advances 

 in science in general. Changes also 

 occurred in the number and structure 

 of the departments in the College. Upon 

 the retirement of K. S. Morrow as head 

 of the Department of Dairy Science, 

 and of L. V. Tirrell as head of the 

 Department of Animal Science in 1 963- 

 64, these two departments, together 

 with Poultry Science, were consoli- 

 dated into one department of Animal 

 Sciences with W. C. Skoglund as 

 chairman. At the same time, the De- 

 partment of Agricultural Economics 

 was renamed Resource Economics. 



Beginning in 1961 Director Keener 

 began negotiations to purchase land in 

 nearby Madbury for use as an experi- 

 mental farm. Ownership of the prop- 

 erty, now consisting of approximately 

 200 acres, was completed in 1973. The 

 land, known as the Kingman Farm, is 

 used for research by scientists in Bio- 

 chemistry, Botany and Plant Pathol- 

 ogy, Forestry and Plant Science. 



Late in the 1960s a decrease in the 

 number of undergraduate students had 

 raised a concern about the future of the 

 College. Dean Keener, believing that 

 fewer departments could be adminis- 

 tered more efficiently, by 1971 had 

 reduced the number of departments in 



the College from 13 to six plus a new 

 Institute of Natural and Environmen- 

 tal Resources. According to D. G. 

 Routley, Editor of Research Highlights, 

 "The Institute was created in 1969 to 

 provide an interdisciplinary atmo- 

 sphere where scientists could com- 

 bine their skills and specialties to solve 

 natural resource and environmental 

 problems." Included in this unit were 

 Forestry, Resource Economics, and 

 Soil and Water Science. The Institute 

 was headed by a Director, the first 

 being O. F. Hall who had succeeded P. 

 E. Bruns as chairman of Forestry. The 

 six remaining departments were Ani- 

 mal Sciences, Biochemistry, Botany, 

 Entomology, Home Economics, and 

 Plant Science. Although the consoli- 

 dation effort was not welcomed by all 

 Station scientists, it worked reason- 

 ably well for a decade and a half. 



In 1969, with legislative approval, 

 the College acquired a new name — 

 College of Life Sciences and Agricul- 

 ture — a title better describing its ori- 

 entation and activities. 



A Genetics Seminar Committee, 

 organized in 1959 with W. M. Collins 

 as chairman, had the objectives of 

 promoting student interest in genetics 

 and strengthening genetics teaching 

 and research. Two years later Dean 

 Keener requested that the committee 

 study the need for a graduate program 

 in Genetics and, if needed, develop 

 plans for the program and recommend 

 a procedure for its operation. Thus in 

 1964 the Genetics Group became a 

 recognized unit of the University with 



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