Planting Seeds: First ever dean-chancellor plans for sucess

Several weeks ago, the Southern University Board of Supervisors evaluated applications
for the next dean/chancellor of the SU Ag Center and College of Agriculture. It was the Board’s
decision to combine the two together so that the three land-grant units (teaching, research and cooperative extension) can ran by the chancellor/dean. When the decision was determined final by the evaluation committee, the Board of Supervisors then name and hired Southern Alum Dr. Bobby R Phills as the first ever dean/chancellor. Phills was chosen over two other finalists for the job and immediately went to work. Phills biggest goal as dean/chancellor is fulfill the needs of the three land-grants’ mission of teaching, research and extension, and community service. When asked what was his motivation for applying for the position, Phills answered, “To
provide a reservoir of opportunities for students to grow and develop to become not only professional in agricultural but our future replacements. It’s imperative that we grow future professionals that will be able to take our place.” According to Phills, there are over fifty thousand jobs nationally that are provide to students who earns degrees in the agriculture field but currently have of those are being filled. He stresses that students of his program should study hard, strive for good grades and be ambitious in terms wanting better for themselves. Students should also be mobile and willing to travel for the job he or she is after. Phills also commented, “I assure that better than 90 percent of our students that graduate get jobs in their major and have more than one job offer.” Now deep into the semester, Phills says that he’s excited about his staff and looks
forward into working with them to fulfill the goals he has set for the agriculture program. He ensured that his staff will have opportunities to grow and develop on their own with guidance of various methods of he calls the “land-grant campus.” “They haven’t always had those kinds of opportunities or felt they had it but didn’t take advantage of them. I’m not only letting them know that such opportunities exist but we’re providing them the opportunities with encouragement to pursue them,” said Phills. Phills mentioned a program called the Beginning Agriculture Youth Opportunities Unlimited, which gives students seven phases (K-20) to learn from their agriculture program. However, he says the program is getting ready to add an eight phase in the faculty and staff request for their own development. In this phase, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to take a short term leave at their own expense to learn more procedures and gain knowledge that would advance their teachings or the program as a whole to the next level. Phills said that as long as the staff have the drive or motivation to learn and help the program, he will be behind 100-percent. In closing, Phills says that he wants to keep not only the “land-grant campus” but the University as a whole informed about the importance of the “A&M” in college’s name.
“We are the Land-Grant campus, we are the reason we have a statewide mission. We required, legislatively mandated to work in every parish in the state. We are a service provider, not only within our own college but many do not know that,” ended Phills.