A Global Perspective
By: Richard Guthrie*
Shortly after I came to Auburn (for the fourth time) in 1983 as professor and head of the Department of Agronomy and Soils, I agreed to participate in a "globalizing the university" AU faculty in other colleges. Shortly after, I agreed to manage a farming systems research and extension project in Mali.
I had been active in international activities with the U.S. Department of Agriculture prior to my return to Auburn, but never expected to be caught up in a new wave of international project activity at AU. Auburn had–and continues to have–a major international program in aquaculture and aquatic ecology, but until about 1985, other CoAg faculty rarely participated in international projects. About this time, the leadership of the College began to promote engagement of faculty, students, Extension agents and agricultural leaders in educational and cultural exchanges and collaborative research projects.
When I stopped to ask "why me?" I thought about my county agent, Jim Moore, when I was a 4-H club member in Bullock County. Mr. Moore was a close family friend who took time out from Extension to work for four years in the Middle East. He and his family spent two years each in Jordan and Iraq, where he helped farmers improve agricultural production. He encouraged me to go to college and become a medical doctor, but instead I believe that his career choices became a model for me to emulate when I came to AU.
As an expression of commitment to international programs in the College, then-CoAg Dean Jim Marion established the position of associate dean for International Agriculture in 1988, a position shared with the AU Office of International Programs. In 1989, then-AU President James Martin formally recognized the International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic Environments (ICAAE) as an official CoAg entity. That recognition included funding for an ICAAE director. During this period, international agriculture flourished: I was appointed associate dean and Bryan Duncan fisheries and allied aquacultures professor was appointed ICAAE director.
Auburn became active in projects sponsored by the South-East Consortium for International Development (SECID), leading to opportunities for faculty and staff in departments that had not previously been involved in international work. International research and outreach coordinated by ICAAE continued to expand, while diversifying to include a wider range of faculty expertise. AU faculty in the College of Agriculture, along with colleagues in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, were successful in attracting significant extramural funding to support foreign assistance projects in developing countries.
Beginning in the late 1980s, international agriculture began to assume an integral role in the life of CoAg faculty, staff and students. With the support of endowments provided by philanthropic alumni, international internships became available for students and faculty who wanted to become more globally aware and competitive in their careers. A thriving visitor exchange program in the College brought new ideas and capabilities to research programs in the form of outstanding scholars from other countries. In the mid-1990s, the Office of International Agriculture began organizing agricultural study tours for faculty, farmers and agricultural leaders. Since 1995, more than 150 persons have toured farms, universities and research centers in Germany, Hungary, Poland, China, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa. The goal of these tours is to garner a better understanding of agriculture and society in the world.
Being a part of the international agriculture scene has been a joyride for me. Developing programs and seeking funds to support them has been especially challenging, but also very rewarding professionally. The interaction with citizens of another culture, often speaking a language other than English, has been intellectually and socially stimulating. Perhaps curiosity about "foreign" countries and people has motivated much of my interest in pursuing international relationships. In a word, "rewarding" best describes the emotion associated with all the pleasure, improved understanding and renewed commitment of faculty, students, farmers and other leaders resulting from being a part of the College's international programs.
*Effective Dec. 31, 2003, Richard Guthrie retired as CoAg associate dean and director of the Office of International Agriculture (OIA). Guthrie will continue to provide oversight and donor coordination for the International Scholars Program and assist with the management and coordination of the Dean's Study Tours. He will also assist the dean, as assigned, with other special projects. Bryan Duncan, who currently serves as director of the International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic Environments (ICAAE), assumed the additional responsibilities of director of OIA. Plans for a merger of OIA and ICAAE, including a new name, are being developed.