Letter from the Department Chair

To: Department of Horticulture and Crop Science Graduate Students

          Welcome to the graduate program of the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University. The entrance into this program marks a significant milestone in your life and a commitment to the pursuit of excellence.

          The graduate program in Horticulture and Crop Science is research-oriented and leads to academic degrees at the Masters and Doctoral level. As such, the objectives of our faculty are to: help you understand basic concepts and principles; challenge you to think critically; encourage you to conduct independent research; instill the ability to synthesize and interpret data; aid you in conceptualizing ideas; and encourage you to clearly articulate ideas and concepts in both oral and written form.

          The ultimate goal of our graduate program is to foster an intellectual and scholarly interaction among faculty and students that results in both learning and the advancement of knowledge. Your graduate education will take many forms, generally based on the scholarly activities designed or supported by this Department. The elements of graduate education involve: faculty interactions, course work, literature reviews, journal clubs, research experience, teaching experience, peer contacts, seminars, travel to and participation in professional meetings, and other cultural and professional experiences including peer contacts with students and faculty from around the world. Keep in mind that there is great flexibility in how faculty members work with graduate students. This is due to the nature of the research problems, the complexity of the discipline, the philosophy of the individual faculty member and the resources at his/her disposal.

          Strive to use all the resources at your disposal to obtain an historical as well as global perspective regarding your research area. In today's world, technical solutions to problems commonly pale to the impediments in implementing these technologies because of social, cultural, religious, political, and economic constraints. The scientist who does not understand or appreciate these non-technical elements in technology transfer and problem-solving is doomed to frustration and is not "educated." In a strict sense, your graduate education is never complete. To be a teacher, scientist, or service professional, one must reinvest in himself/herself continuously by thinking and reading. This is the currency by which our productivity and professional worth and reputation are maintained and increased. Thus, it is important to develop both an attitude and habit of lifelong learning beyond one's formal education.

          Graduate student alumni form the ambassador corps for any academic department. As such, you will ultimately contribute to the reputation of this Department. As an aid in making your graduate experience in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science both rewarding and fruitful, this handbook has been compiled to assist you in laying out the general blueprint for building your career foundation. Welcome aboard.

Sincerely,
Mark Bennett
Professor and Interim Chair
Horticulture & Crop Science