The USPOULTRY Foundation recently awarded a $25,734 student recruiting grant to the University of Georgia (UGA). The grant was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from the Leland Bagwell Education and Innovation Fund and was presented by Gwen Venable, executive vice president of communications for USPOULTRY, to Dr. Todd Applegate, professor and head of the Department of Poultry Science at UGA. Joining in the presentation were several departmental student ambassadors.
The grant will be used to strengthen the UGA Department of Poultry Science, which has a long and successful history of partnership with the USPOULTRY Foundation. Funds will be used to help recruit students, furthering the program’s significant influence on the future of the poultry industry in Georgia and around the world.
“We very much appreciate the USPOULTRY Foundation and the support of our recruitment efforts, and we look forward to continuing to expand our poultry science and avian biology programs. The outreach and recruiting programs for students entering the poultry and allied sectors are keenly reliant on the generous support of the USPOULTRY Foundation and its supporting donors, including the Leland Bagwell Education and Innovation Fund. The funding has allowed us to provide educational outreach to schools throughout Georgia, including initiatives such as a Poultry Science Pathway, a recently approved high school curriculum through Georgia High School Agriculture Education. The Department also provides continuing education for middle and high school STEM and Vo–Ag teachers by providing hands–on labs and curriculum for teachers to take back to their classrooms,” said Dr. Applegate.
The USPOULTRY Foundation board approved student recruiting grants totaling $302,510 to 26 colleges and universities across the United States with a poultry science department or industry–related degree program. The USPOULTRY Foundation provides annual recruiting funds to colleges and universities to attract students to their poultry programs. The grants are made possible by gifts to the Foundation from companies, individuals and families, in addition to funds earned over the years at the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo.
The USPOULTRY Foundation’s mission is to support the recruitment and training of the brightest students, seek and fund scientific research, foster student scientists and promote careers in the poultry and egg industry.
