Dexter Wakefield, Ph.D., Interim Dean and Director of Land-Grant Programs
Agriculture and Applied Sciences at Alcorn State University are very broad and comprehensive, yet we are focused on our programs, outreach and research projects. We work with and support a largely under-served region of the state of Mississippi including small-and-limited-resource farmers, and we do so very effectively and efficiently. It is our intent to leverage every appropriated dollar to maximize our economic and personal impact on Mississippians.
Alcorn State is a driving force in Mississippi’s higher education system and a leader in developing the bright minds that exist throughout Mississippi, the nation, the world. We are on the verge of tremendous growth in the areas of academics, outreach, and research. It is evident that the state of Mississippi has made a tremendous investment in Alcorn, and as a result, the state has reaped both tangible and intangible rewards that far exceed the funds that have been invested.
The Alcorn State University School of Agricultural and Applied Sciences are conducting research totaling nearly $30 million annually. Our increase in research activity continues to exceed the amount of funding provided by the state of Mississippi for our programs. Based on the state funds allocated to the Agricultural and Applied Sciences, every seven pennies invested in research by the state of Mississippi, return one dollar to the state economy. Beyond this direct impact, the Agricultural and Applied Sciences Units create further economic development through research projects that support our small-and-limited-resource farmers, as well as creates economic stimulus through business development and enhancement. We are an integral collaborator with the United States Department of Agriculture through our efforts as a land-grant university, and we continue to significantly impact the national farm policy.
Funds provided to research and extension at Alcorn State agricultural programs stimulate economic and personal development in areas that are largely not serviced. These programs impact every county in the state, but greatly impact the Delta and southwest Mississippi, and do that quite well. We work each day with a segment of the community, farmers, ranchers and agricultural industries that drive a significant part of Mississippi’s economy.
Mission Statement
Through vibrant teaching, research and outreach activities, the School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences empowers students and citizens educationally and socio-economically to enrich the quality of life for themselves and their communities.
Vision Statement
The School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences is a premier land-grant program that promotes excellence by providing teaching, research and outreach activities, delivered by cutting edge technology, to its students and the communities it serves.