TALL Program Calls for Applicants
COLLEGE STATION –Texas Cooperative Extension’s Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership competitive leadership development program is calling for applicants to participate in Class X. Applications are available at http://tall.tamu.edu, and due March 15, 2006.
“The Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program is a vehicle by which one may obtain some answers to the ‘who, what, where, when and why’ questions concerning issues in agriculture,” said Clay Allison of San Angelo, Class VIII graduate, software engineer for Northrop Grumman and owner/manager of the Allison Half Circle A Ranch.
Director Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz said, "Given the critical issues facing agriculture today, there is a need to provide intensive leadership development experiences for a promising new generation of leaders.”
The two-year program has eight seminars with 45 days of intense training and more than 300 speakers. Twenty-five participants will receive 455 hours of training, about the same number of hours required for a master of agriculture degree. Six of the week-long seminars will be held in Texas. The other two will include trips to Washington, D.C., New York, N.Y., and a trip to China to study foreign governments, said Mazurkiewicz.
Eric Opiela of Karnes City, Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Class IX graduate, attorney, and rancher, said it “is a program which lets participants see and experience agricultural practices outside their everyday environment. The networking and learning opportunities are second to none. (Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership) participants take more than the knowledge they gain home with them; they take lifelong friendships and business relationships.”
Participants attend seminars, on-site tours, meet with leaders of government and business, and study internationally. Seminars with experts and group discussion enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of key subjects in agriculture. These seminars will cover leadership development, communications skills, economics and policy, international trade, agricultural institutions and agencies, urban/rural relations and water and energy issues. On-site tours help participants discover the procedures and problems in production, marketing and financing. Meeting with government and business expose participants to the varied social and economic conditions impacting agriculture. International study focuses on communications, ecology, government policy, economics, social problems and educational opportunity.
While the average age range of participants is 25 to 50 years old, there is no age or educational requirement, and anyone interested who is actively involved in agriculture is encouraged to apply.
Tuition is $2,000, or 10 percent of the total expense per participant. Extension, industry gifts and grants fund the rest of the program. If you would like to help support TALL or apply for the next class, contact Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz at (979) 845-1554.
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