Arkansas Tech University has received $730,000 in federal funds to provide equipment for the Farm Credit Agriculture Building on the ATU campus in Russellville.
The equipment will be used in animal science, plant science and agriculture mechanics and will benefit students on the agriculture business and agricultural education tracks, the university said in a news release.
The grant will also allow for the purchase of virtual and augmented reality welding systems that aim to help future K-12 agriculture teachers prepare for lessons.
“This grant will ensure Arkansas Tech students have access to equipment that is used in modern agriculture and agricultural education,” Bryan Rank, ATU’s agriculture program director and principal investigator on the grant application, said in the release. “Exposing them to this equipment and facilitating their understanding of how to use it will enhance their employability after graduation. These additions to our physical resources will put our graduates on a level playing field and forward Arkansas Tech’s reputation with employers for producing high-caliber graduates.”
Founded in 1909 as the Second District Agricultural School, ATU has offered curriculum in agriculture since its first day of class on Oct. 26, 1910.
“Our students will benefit greatly from the opportunities created by this new equipment, and in turn our state’s economy and K-12 schools will be improved by the ATU graduates who will enter the workforce better prepared to access 21st century opportunities in agriculture and agricultural education,” ATU president Russell Jones said in the release.
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