New TSU Ag Buildings Follow Expansion Into New Areas Of Research

TSU’s agricultural complex includes three new buildings. Credit: TSU

Tennessee State University has cut the ribbon on a handful of new agricultural buildings. The lab facilities, greenhouses and classrooms were built in part with an $8 million grant from the USDA. And they’re part of an overall push to expand on one of the school’s original missions.

Before it was TSU, the school was called Tennessee A & I, for Agriculture and Industry. The curriculum has grown to run the gamut. Agriculture never went away, but it did seem to take a back seat until 2008. That’s when the Ag department began a restructuring in hopes of regaining some of its old prominence.

The goal is to beef up the amount of basic science and research and push into new kinds of agricultural studies, like biofuels, urban forestry, agribusiness and plant genetics. To that end, TSU has hired 25 new faculty and transferred some scientists over from other departments.

So far, the department’s graduate program has gone from 11 students to more than a hundred. With last week’s grand opening, they’ve got access to better labs and up-to-date equipment. The next, crucial step is beefing up recruitment of undergrads interested in agriculture.