UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Higher education and research make major contributions to America's agricultural productivity, and Penn State has been cited as one of the Top 10 U.S. universities serving the meat and poultry industry.

Specifically recognized were Penn State's departments of poultry science, dairy and animal science and food science, which are all in the College of Agricultural Sciences. They were ranked together as the eighth entry on the Scholastic Top 10 sponsored by Meat & Poultry magazine and the American Foods Group in their first annual ranking of universities with the best meat and poultry programs.

"Penn State's meat and poultry programs are closely linked," says Robert Elkin, professor and head of the department of poultry science. "The departments of dairy and animal science and poultry science co-sponsor the animal sciences undergraduate major, which is the fastest growing undergraduate program in the college."

"Moreover, our two faculties, along with our colleagues in the department of food science, work together seamlessly in delivering high-quality courses, offering undergraduate research experiences and providing internships for our students to obtain actual work experience in the meat and poultry industry prior to graduation.

"In many instances," he adds, "the latter experiences lead directly to job offers. We are extremely pleased that Meat & Poultry magazine has chosen to recognize Penn State's programs."

"The future of the meat and poultry industry is tied directly and irrevocably to a steady stream of well-educated college graduates who see a future in the business," says Chuck Jolley, publisher of Meat & Poultry. "To make it happen, it's important that interested high school students know the best options for their future, and undergraduates know where the best choices are for continuing their education.

"During research, we found general agreement on the top 10 programs, but serious debate about which should be on top; our editors claim all the schools in the top 10 deserved to be ranked near the top. In the spirit of collegiate football polls, we did attempt to place them in an order that made sense."

The magazine surveyed degree-granting universities with the assistance of top researchers and educators to complete the formidable ranking task, the results of which are published in the November 2001 issue. The many different university structures made direct comparisons impossible, so industry professionals were surveyed for their opinions.

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EDITORS: Contact Robert Elkin at 814-865-3411.

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-865-1068 fax