Creation of the Agricultural Institute

Throughout the 20^th century across the South, many graduating high school seniors did not have an equal opportunity to advance their education. Some rural students could not afford a four-year college degree, therefore a formal education in agriculture was not available to them. During the later half of the twentieth century, the agricultural field experienced rapid technical advancement. Agriculturalists needed formal training to operate specialized machinery and chemicals. The economy called for technicians with an education beyond the high school level, but not necessarily a Bachelor’s degree. [1]

The North Carolina General Assembly approved the establishment of the Agricultural Institute in 1959.^[2] SALS intended to remove the barriers associated with a four-year degree such as money and time, to extend formal higher education to more students. The Institute’s intention was to create a supply for the “ever-increasing demand for technically trained people in agriculture and related fields.”[3] When the Ag Institute began in 1961, the program offered training in farm equipment sales and service, general agriculture, livestock management and technology, pest control, and poultry technology.[4] At the end of the 1980s the curriculum expanded with the growing economy needs to include agribusiness, food processing and service, ornamentals, landscape, and turf grass.[5] The School of Agriculture and Life Sciences offered the Associate’s degree to teach students the proper training for a career in the technical agricultural field.[6]

Characteristically, the students of the Agricultural Institute and the baccalaureate students were easily distinguishable. The Ag students came from high schools with smaller enrollments, could inherit a farm or ranch, took high school courses in agriculture, or were members of Future Farmers of America or 4-H clubs. SALS believed these students were at risk of terminating their education after obtaining a high school diploma.

In the 1970s, the Ag Institute admitted the program was “essentially an ‘open door’ admissions policy.”[7] Ag students came from smaller high schools, and did not perform on the same level as the baccalaureate students. However Ag students were in the top 50% of their high school class.[8] The SALS director reported the quality of Agricultural Institute students was improving over its decade of existence. 

The Ag Institute was successfully creating outstanding candidates for the professional agricultural field. 

In 1970, the Agriculture Commissioner praised the Ag Institute for its achievement in student education and career success. Over seven hundred men and women graduated from the Institute by this point. Commissioner James Graham stated the program “fills the gap between the limits of a high school education and four years and thousands of dollars needed for a full college degree.”[9] By the 1980s, many graduate from the Ag Institute alumni reported the Ag Institute allowed them to pursue college training.[10] The Associates degree in agriculture empowered men and women to pursue formal education and obtain careers in the technical field of agriculture.