An Exploratory Study of Funding for Agricultural Communications Offices

The Department of Information and Publications at the University of Maryland serves the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, and the College of Agriculture

On the Existence of Radiation Gauges in Petrov type II spacetimes

The radiation gauges used by Chrzanowski (his IRG/ORG) for metric reconstruction in the Kerr spacetime seem to be over-specified. Their specification consists of five conditions: four, which we treat here as valid gauge conditions, plus an additional condition on the trace of the metric perturbation. In this work, we utilize a newly developed form of the perturbed Einstein equations to establish a condition -- on a particular tetrad component of the stress-energy tensor -- under which the full IRG/ORG can be imposed. Using gauge freedom, we are able to impose the full IRG for Petrov type II and type D backgrounds, using a different tetrad for each case. As a specific example, we work through the process of imposing the IRG in a Schwarzschild background, using a more traditional approach. Implications for metric reconstruction using the Teukolsky curvature perturbations in type D spacetimes are briefly discussed.Comment: 21 pages, uses iop style files. v2: proved a stronger result for type II backgrounds, added a subsection on remaining gauge freedom in the full IRG and improved calrity and readability throughout due to insightful referee comments; published as Class. Quantum Grav. 24 (2007) 2367-238

Level of Preparedness for Managing Crisis Communication on Land-Grant Campuses

Crisis situations can occur in any organization. Because they attract media attention and public scrutiny, crises demand effective intervention and response. Despite their importance, there has never been an inventory of crisis communication readiness at land-grant universities. This study used mail survey techniques to query communication administrators at 1862 and 1890 U.S. land-grant colleges of agriculture as to the level of preparedness that exists for handling crisis situations at their institutions. A major finding was that only about 60 percent of land-grant universities have a central crisis communication plan. Nearly one third of the respondents were unaware of a crisis communication plan at their university. Official crisis plans were most often found at the university level, followed by extension. Experiment station crisis plans were reported by fewer than one fourth of respondents, an alarming finding since research programs and facilities are considerably more susceptible to public outcry or threats from fringe groups. It was determined that faculty and staff are often not aware of crisis plans in place at their institutions and that communication professionals have limited involvement in the development of such plans. Findings highlight the need for communication professionals to be more proactive in assuring that crisis communication plans are in place and that they are involved in their development

Enhancing Professionalism in Academic Agricultural Communications Programs: The Role of Accreditation

Enhancing professionalism in agricultural and applied communications has been an important topic of discussion among ACE members in recent years. Developing strategies to increase prestige and recognition of this specialized field are of particular interest to ACE members involved in administering academic programs in agricultural communications and agricultural journalism. One of the measures under consideration to bolster recognition is the development of accreditation standards and procedures that would allow for “certification” of academic programs. Among the often-cited advantages of accreditation are increased uniformity of curricula and the development of formal quality- control mechanisms. However, if accreditation standards and procedures are to be implemented successfully, more information is needed on the overall accreditation process, how it has been used in other disciplines, and what factors should be considered in applying it to agricultural communications. This paper attempts to fill this void by providing an overview of the accreditation process and a review of the accreditation literature to identify important issues in developing and implementing such programs. In addition, results from an electronic mail survey of academic agricultural communications program faculty are provided to document their perceptions of the need and role of accreditation in this field. The authors argue that development of a structured accreditation process is not in the best interest of agricultural communications at this time. The paper concludes with a set of discussion items and recommendations for agricultural communications faculty to consider in weighing for themselves the merits of national accreditation standards

Why Haven\u27t You Published That Research (and Your Other Ideas)?

Various disincentives and barriers keep communicators from pursuing scholarly publication opportunities

Diverse University Students Across the United States Reveal Promising Pathways to Hunter Recruitment and Retention

Declining participation in hunting, especially among young adult hunters, affects the ability of state and federal agencies to achieve goals for wildlife management and decreases revenue for conservation. For wildlife agencies hoping to engage diverse audiences in hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts, university settings provide unique advantages: they contain millions of young adults who are developmentally primed to explore new activities, and they cultivate a social atmosphere where new identities can flourish. From 2018 to 2020, we surveyed 17,203 undergraduate students at public universities across 22 states in the United States to explore R3 potential on college campuses and assess key demographic, social, and cognitive correlates of past and intended future hunting behavior. After weighting to account for demographic differences between our sample and the larger student population, 29% of students across all states had hunted in the past. Students with previous hunting experience were likely to be white, male, from rural areas or hunting families, and pursuing degrees related to natural resources. When we grouped students into 1 of 4 categories with respect to hunting (i.e., non-hunters [50%], potential hunters [22%], active hunters [26%], and lapsed hunters [3%]), comparisons revealed differences based on demographic attributes, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Compared to active hunters, potential hunters were more likely to be females or racial and ethnic minorities, and less likely to experience social support for hunting. Potential hunters valued game meat and altruistic reasons for hunting, but they faced unique constraints due to lack of hunting knowledge and skills. Findings provide insights for marketing and programming designed to achieve R3 objectives with a focus on university students. © 2021 The Wildlife Society

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