Smith, Mervin G.

English

Research Papers in Economics

THE  NEED  FOR  FULL  INSTITUTIONAL
OPERATION
Mervin  G.  Smith,  Chairman
Department of  Agricultural Economics and  Rural Sociology
Ohio State  University
My  job  here,  according  to  my  interpretation,  is  to  explain:
(1)  the need  for  the entire  institution  to  direct  its  efforts  to  agri-
cultural  and  rural  adjustment  or  development,  and  (2)  materials
becoming  available  and needed  for helping  to  do  this  job.
Agricultural  colleges,  experiment  stations,  extension  services,
agricultural  education  in  public  schools,  and  the  United  States
Department  of Agriculture  are  being  pressed  more  now than  ever
before  to  adjust  their  programs  to  meet  the  present  and  future
needs  of  agriculture  and  the  entire  society.  I  believe  these  insti-
tutions  face  the  greatest  transitional  period  in  the  next  ten  to
fifteen  years  that  they  have  ever  experienced.
In  most  cases  only  a  beginning  has  been  made  on  adjustments
in  these  institutions.  The  extension  services  have  been  working
in  this  direction  for  the  last  few  years  and  have  probably  gone
the furthest,  but they have only made  a beginning.  The experiment
stations  and  resident  teaching  have  barely  started  to  cope  with
adjustment  problems.
Unless  the  entire  institution  is  involved,  very  little  progress
will  be  made,  and the  result  may  be  a  drastic  decline  in  the  im-
portance  and influence  of these  institutions in  our  society.  In fact,
this may  be  a struggle for life  for these  institutions.
The  first  place  where  the  entire  institution  must  be  involved
is  with  the  administration.  This means  more  than  just  an  assign-
ment  of responsibility  to  a  public affairs  specialist,  to a  committee,
or  to  a  department.  The  administrators  themselves  need  to:  (1)
articulate  much  more  all  facets  of  these  problems,  (2)  develop
understanding  by the entire  staff,  (3)  take  the initiative  in setting
up  a  plan  for  organizing  the  institution  to  meet  the  needs,  and
(4)  implement  the  plan  or  organization.  The  rapidity  of  change
in  the  institutions  will  depend  more  than  anything  else  on  how
much  the  administrators  become  involved  in  it.
This  does  not  mean  that  an  administrator  can  undertake  this
work  himself.  In  implementing  any  program,  responsibilities  will
have  to  be  delegated  to  many  individuals  and  groups.  The  point
is that  administrators  cannot delegate responsibilities  and resources
124effectively  unless they are  involved enough  that they have  a broad
concept  of  the trends  and  needed  direction  of  programs.
The  Center  for  Agricultural  and  Economic  Adjustment  was
advised  by  our  National  Committee  on  Agricultural  Policy  and
other  advisory  groups  that  working  with  top  administrators  was
important if the  land-grant  colleges  were  to move  on  adjustments
in the near  future.  Consequently,  administrators  of  the land-grant
colleges were  consulted,  and regional  two-day  conferences  or sem-
inars  have  been  organized  over  the  country.  Each  of  these  con-
ferences  includes  in  most  cases  four  to  six  states.  The  pattern
generally  is  for  a  core  of  about  12  staff  persons  from  each  state
to  attend,  including  mostly  administrative  staff  members  and
leaders  in  the institutions.  These  conferences  deal  with  the  whole
area  of  problems  confronting  agriculture  and  rural  society  with
some  indication  of  what  this  means  to  educational  and  research
institutions.  Most  of  the  conferences  will  be  held  during  the  fall
and  winter  of  1960-61.
Also,  in  cooperation  with  the  National  Committee  on  Agri-
cultural  Policy and the Farm  Foundation, the Center has developed
and  published  a  booklet,  "Agricultural  Adjustment:  A  Challenge
and  Opportunity  for  Land-Grant  Colleges."  This  publication  was
prepared  mostly  to help  administrators  of  land-grant  colleges  get
started  in broadening  the scope  of  their  educational  and  research
programs,  reorienting  these  programs  to  include  agricultural  and
rural  adjustments  and  new  subject  matter,  and  using  new  ap-
proaches  to  meet  present  and  future  problems.
More  than  ever,  if  these  educational  and  research  institutions
are  to  strengthen  their  program,  the  entire  land-grant  college-
extension,  research,  and  resident  instruction-need  to  undergo
this  process  of  self  study,  organizing,  and  cooperating  together.
Two important  aspects  of the newer trends in  these institutions
seem  to  be:  (1)  redefining  agriculture  more  broadly  to  include
not only  the farm business but also:  (a)  the farm supply, process-
ing  and marketing  industries  and  (b)  the  public  affairs  problems
of  people  in  agriculture  and  rural  society;  and  (2)  recognition
of  the  social-economic  problems  which  have  become  so  dominant
and  acute  with  the  rapid  changes  in  agricultural  technology.
The  entire  land-grant  college  staff  needs  to  develop  better
understanding  of  these  problems  for  two  reasons:  (1)  to  avoid
sabotage  of  the  whole  effort  by  some  staff  members  and  (2)  to
make  effective  use  of  all  the  resources  of  the  entire  institution.
Since  many  staff  members  have  not  dealt  with  these  broadened
125aspects  of  adjustment  and  the  development  process,  they  need  to
discuss  and  study  these  problems.  I  am  not  saying  that  all  the
staff need  to  get acquainted  with  all problems  in  detail.  How  far
the  entire  staff  is  involved  on  each  phase  of  the  subject  will
need  to  be  worked  out  by  each  institution.  However,  I  am  sure
that  in  the  beginning  considerable  effort  should  be  made  with
the  entire  staff.
One  of  the first  requirements  even  to  start  developing  a  staff
understanding is materials and resources for studying and analyzing
the  broad  scope  of  problems  facing  agriculture  today.  Resource
material  can  be  obtained  from  various  departments  within  the
college. Since  a large portion of the needs  are  economic  and social,
quite  likely  the  departments  of  agricultural  economics  and  rural
sociology  will  be drawn  on  heavily.  However,  many  departments
in  the institution  can  likely make  contributions.  Although  the  de-
partments  of  agricultural  economics  and  rural  sociology  should
be  ready  and  willing  to  dig in  to  furnish  as  much  resource  ma-
terial  as  possible  and  although  they  are in  a  position  to  play  an
important role,  these departments  should  be careful  not to attempt
to  take  over  the  leadership  in  this  whole  project  from  the  ad-
ministrators.  These  departments  will  be  asked  to  take  important
responsibilities  later  as  the  study  is  initiated  and  as  programs
are  organized  and  carried  out.
Perhaps the first type  of resource  material  needed by the staffs
of  these  institutions  is  an  analysis  of  the  changes  taking  place
in  agriculture  and  rural  society  in  the  United  States.  This  again
has  been  recognized  by  the  National  Committee  on  Agricultural
Policy,  the Farm Foundation,  and the  Center  for Agricultural  and
Economic Adjustment. These groups are cooperating in the prepara-
tion of  a  book,  which will probably  be  called  "Trends  and  Needed
Adjustments  in  U.  S.  Agriculture-A  National  Basebook."  This
book  is  tentatively  scheduled  for publication  in  November  by  the
Iowa  State  University  Press.  To  quote  from  the  introduction,  it
"is  for  people  concerned  with  U.  S.  agriculture  and  its  future-
for  teachers,  research  workers,  and  extension  workers  in  the
Land-Grant  College  System;  for  farm  leaders  and  farm  organiza-
tions;  for  political  leaders;  for  agricultural  businessmen,  for  gov-
ernment agencies, and all others interested in the role of agriculture
in  the future  development  of  this  country."
Although this book will be valuable, it will be only  a beginning.
The  next  logical  step  would  be  the  preparation  and  analysis  of
material  on  a state  basis.  This  should  treat  the  trends and  adjust-
ment needs in the state with full consideration  of their relationship
126to  national  trends  and  adjustments.  Many  of  the  staff  can  be
involved  in  the  preparation  of  state  study  materials,  and  they
will  gain  understanding  by  working  on  it.  Also,  many  resources
may  be  used.
So far  we  have  discussed  only  the phase  of  developing  under-
standing by the staff.  From here  the same  work  needs  to be  done
with  other  leaders  in  the  state.  Some  groups  might  be  used  as
advisory  or consulting  groups  as  the work  proceeds.  The  difficult
task  is  still ahead  even  at  this stage.  Decisions  have  to  be  made
about  how  to  develop  the  research  and  educational  program  of
the institution  in  light of  the understanding  of trends  and needed
adjustments.
Extension  seems  to  be the  place  where  the  problems  press  us
first because it is close to the practical problems.  Therefore, chances
are  that  we  will start developing  the  approach  in  extension  first.
As  extension  emphasizes  more  the  broad  program  of  education
regarding  adjustments,  especially  in  public  affairs,  new  resources
and  facts will  be  needed.  This  is where  all  areas  of  specialization
within  the  entire  university  should  be  tapped-the  psychologist,
political  scientist,  taxation  specialist,  government  specialist,  engi-
neer,  lawyer,  etc. Other  colleges  and  universities  in the  state  and
any  other  resources  should  be  used  where  appropriate.  Our  or-
ganizational  structure  needs  to  be improved  so  that  all  resources
can  be  used.
The  experiment  station  probably  is  next  to  feel  the  pressure
to  do  research  in  the  broad  areas  of  adjustment.  Criteria  should
be  established  for  deciding  on  priority  of  research  projects  in
line  with  the  present  and  future  trends.  My  observation  is  that
the  basis  for  selection  of  projects  is in  serious  need  of  improve-
ment.  This  applies  to  both  physical  and  biological  sciences  and
to  social-economic  sciences.  This  is not  to  say  that  technological
research should be discontinued, but some of it might be reoriented,
and  an  increase  in  adjustment  research  is  needed  if  research  is
to  take  a  broad  approach  to  the  present  and  future  problems  of
agriculture  and  rural  society.
Finally, resident  instruction  in agricultural  colleges  will receive
more  pressure  to  make  changes.  They  will  be  attempting  to  or-
ganize  curricula  that  prepare  students  to  meet  the  requirements
for working  in  the various  phases  of  the  future  agricultural  and
rural  society.  We  are  a  long  way  from  meeting  the  prospective
needs.
The changes  needed in  many  of these  institutions  will be  very
127difficult  and  may  seem  impossible  to  make  because  of  the  tra-
ditions,  organizational  structure,  resistance  on  the  part  of  some
staff  people,  and  the  different  appraisal  of  the  need  and  methods
for  dealing  with  the  present  and  future  broad  problems.  These
changes  will  take  time,  and  these  institutions  will  be  in  a  transi-
tional  stage  all through  the  sixties.  However,  it  is  later  now  than
many  of  our  people  in  these  institutions  think.
Considerable experimenting will be  done by some of the leading
institutions.  Separate  phases  of  action  programs will  be tried.  An
example  of  this  sort  of  experiment  is  being  initiated  by  a  con-
sulting  seminar  sponsored  by  the  Center  for  Agricultural  and
Economic  Adjustment.  This  seminar  will  be  held  at  Ohio  State
University  with  teams  of  extension  personnel  from  five  states.
In every step such as this an effort should  be made to  obtain broad
understanding  within the institution and  to use  all  resources  from
the  entire  university  and  related  institutions.
128

THE NEED FOR FULL INSTITUTIONAL OPERATION

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Research Papers in Economics