College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosts development council
Attendees toured facilities, heard from Texas A&M leadership, offered input, elected committee members
Members of the College of Agriculture Development Council, COADC, networked with fellow industry leaders, current Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students and Texas A&M University administrators on and off campus during the recent COADC fall meeting.
A volunteer organization committed to supporting the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its students, the council is composed of former students and friends of the College. Many members are industry leaders with expertise across the agriculture and life sciences sector. This collective level of knowledge helps fellow council members and the vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences stay up to date on current issues in agriculture, life sciences, business and policy.
Encouraging development, enhancing the student experience
Open to anyone, the COADC actively supports current students through volunteering and through its membership fees of $1,000 per year. The council also offers a “recent graduate” membership for those within 10 years of graduation, at $500 per year for up to three years.
A hallmark of the COADC is its scholarship-matching program. On a first-come, first-served basis, the COADC provides up to $50,000 in matching assistance for members who have participated for five or more years on the council. COADC matches endowments of $12,500 and $25,000, created through the College or departments, while still allowing the member to select their preferences for the endowed scholarship.
“Since joining the council in 2001, I have been given the unique opportunity to meet and collaborate with a network of former students who share the same desire to give back to the next generation of Aggie leaders through support and scholarship funding,” said Stephen Diebel ’95, COADC chairman. “Selfless service has always been at the core of Texas A&M values, and through the council, the next generation of Aggie leaders can be cultivated.”
To date, the COADC has provided matching funds for 117 endowed scholarships, contributing more than $5.2 million to the College and departments.
“As a College, we want to create the most sought-after candidates for the workplace,” said Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences. “To do that, we must stay responsive to the needs of the industry and recruit the most dedicated and passionate members of the next generation. The COADC helps us do both, and we are beyond thankful for that support.”
Networking opportunities for members, Texas A&M administrators
The council met at the P.A. Smith Hotel in Navasota on Nov. 3, onboarding new members, touring the historic area and hearing an update on Texas A&M’s top initiatives from Susan Ballabina, Ph.D., chief external affairs officer and senior vice president. Also in attendance were leaders from across Texas A&M AgriLife as well as several students who participated in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Internship.
The council met Nov. 4 at the Texas A&M-RELLIS Campus, a 2,400-acre applied research campus in Bryan, for a presentation by Eric Brenner, program coordinator for the Center for Coffee Research and Education within the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development.
Following Brenner’s presentation, updates on the College were given by Savell, and Chris Skaggs, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for stakeholder relations and associate dean for student development, along with Rebecca O’Neal, assistant vice chancellor for strategic engagement, gave an update on student recruitment.
Council members wrapped up the morning with a tour of the RELLIS campus, lunch with a presentation by forensic and investigative sciences students, and a business meeting where new executive committee members were elected.
Diebel, who presided over the fall meeting as chairman, will now transition into the role of past chairman. He was an animal science major and currently the owner of Diebel Cattle Company. Meredith Neely ’02 will serve as the new COADC chairman. Neely was an agribusiness major and now works as a real estate broker for Icon Global Group. Additionally, Casey Bradshaw ’95 was elected as vice chairman. Bradshaw also majored in animal science and is currently the president and general manager of Consolidated Beef Producers Inc. Finally, Mark Quinn ’75, DVM, will serve as treasurer for the COADC. Quinn earned his bachelor’s degree in veterinary science and doctorate in veterinary medicine and works at Melissa Feeders.
The two-day event finished with a dinner reception and open house at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, with remarks by director Amy Swinford, DVM.
Getting involved with COADC
COADC hosts meetings twice a year. Usually, as with this recent meeting, the fall meeting coincides with the annual College of Agriculture and Life Sciences tailgate during an Aggie football home game. The spring meeting locations rotate among cities across the state.
The meetings provide members with updates on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife and the university. Meetings also include social outings and the opportunity to network with administrators and fellow industry leaders.
Anyone interested in joining the COADC should contact Angel Futrell Jaramillo, manager of alumni and donor engagement, at [email protected] or 979-314-8024.
