ALEC History

MJ Author

07/02/2018 Added

18 Plays

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A look back in time at the history of the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. ALEC is celebrating it's 100th anniversary.

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[00:00:00.000](dramatic music)
[00:00:02.660]A century ago, World War One was in full swing
[00:00:05.980]and the nation was gripped by a flu pandemic.
[00:00:09.000](swing music)
[00:00:11.160]The first Tarzan film premiered.
[00:00:13.320]A horse named War Cloud won the Preakness.
[00:00:16.270]And in Nebraska, the Corn Huskers played Notre Dame
[00:00:19.540]to a scoreless tie.
[00:00:22.360]On campus, big changes were coming in response
[00:00:25.180]to the passage of the Smith-Hughes
[00:00:27.070]National Vocational Education Act.
[00:00:29.630]Many schools were already providing education
[00:00:32.270]in agriculture, but it was not from people
[00:00:34.580]who were trained to be teachers.
[00:00:36.230]And so in 1918, after the Smith- Hughes act
[00:00:39.340]had been passed in 1917, the University of Nebraska
[00:00:42.830]developed the Department of Agricultural Education.
[00:00:46.230]The program started with just two courses
[00:00:48.790]and by the time the first graduating class was graduated
[00:00:51.720]in 1920, there were about 11 courses
[00:00:55.309]that were being offered.
[00:00:57.200]Over the years, the program
[00:00:58.960]evolved with changes tied to the farm economy.
[00:01:02.410]Someone who's prepared as a teacher can easily qualify
[00:01:05.740]for employment in the ag business industry
[00:01:10.200]and so as the economy would become strong,
[00:01:12.431]we would experience a turnover as many of our undergraduates
[00:01:16.180]would teach three to four years
[00:01:18.020]and then go off into agro-business.
[00:01:20.476](auction calling)
[00:01:23.450]The farm crisis of the 1980's hit enrollment
[00:01:26.590]hard and ushered in important developments.
[00:01:29.750]We realized in our department that we needed
[00:01:32.230]to broaden our base beyond just preparing teachers
[00:01:35.180]but to look at an area that had always been strong
[00:01:37.960]in preparation of agriculture instructors
[00:01:40.170]and that would be the area of leadership
[00:01:42.500]development and education.
[00:01:44.730]New programs in leadership and communication
[00:01:47.430]led to renaming the department to better reflect
[00:01:50.070]the variety of options.
[00:01:51.710]It's been outstanding.
[00:01:53.920]The nimbleness of this department, we've been able
[00:01:56.500]to springboard not only into leadership development
[00:02:00.290]but also into communication studies and into the ag tourism
[00:02:04.300]area and so we've really broadened that base.
[00:02:07.490]But diverse ALEC programs also share
[00:02:10.340]an important focus.
[00:02:12.460]We study the theories of human potential
[00:02:15.740]and human development.
[00:02:17.110]We conduct research and extensive activities in that
[00:02:20.560]and really bring that back to the classroom
[00:02:22.520]in an effort to truly develop human potential in a way
[00:02:25.850]that makes the students who graduate experts
[00:02:28.607]in that human connection.
[00:02:30.790]I thought we had confirmation that we got it but.
[00:02:33.210]I really was able to gain a better understanding
[00:02:35.830]of what leadership meant and especially how that relates
[00:02:38.610]to community involvement and that really set me up
[00:02:41.620]for my job really well here at Civic Nebraska.
[00:02:43.842](saw buzzing)
[00:02:46.580]Agricultural education in schools
[00:02:48.750]across the state combine classroom and leadership
[00:02:51.470]instruction and experiential learning for students.
[00:02:55.020]Every day is something different.
[00:02:56.580]There's nothing the same.
[00:02:57.980]It's just a great experience.
[00:02:59.890]There's something new every day and I just love
[00:03:01.880]being around the kids.
[00:03:03.397]ALEC at the University of Nebraska
[00:03:05.410]promises to meet the needs of a changing world.
[00:03:08.730]Our graduates really are equipped to go into all sectors
[00:03:12.730]of our society, whether that's in the health profession,
[00:03:16.180]whether that's in the energy field,
[00:03:17.720]whether that's education, public, non-profit, private,
[00:03:21.910]and so developing human potential, in my mind,
[00:03:24.310]has never been more important than it is now
[00:03:26.930]and will continue to be more important as we see
[00:03:29.330]additional stresses and pressures on things
[00:03:32.040]like our food supply, water supply, and energy.
[00:03:34.417](mellow rock music)

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