Down in the Trenches: Transforming the Horticulture and Crop Science Image and Curriculum to Recruit More Students

Nationwide, enrollment in Horticulture and Crop Science departments has been declining. Since enrollment peaked in the mid-70’s, Cal Poly has experienced similar declines. To better understand today’s students and their interests, our Horticulture and Crop Science Department (HCS) engaged the well-respected Iowa-based firm, Stamats, for a marketing study to enable HCS to better identify and communicate with qualified potential students. This study looked into the tools and terminology used by the department to communicate with students. The end result was a brand portfolio of comprehensive marketing materials for student recruitment to HCS and a change in our curriculum.
One of the more enlightening aspects of the study was how positively students react to contemporary terminology about the environment, such as sustainability, but they do not have a clear understanding of what horticulture and crop science is. Additionally, terminology describing department majors—horticulture, plant science, plant production, crop science—were little understood by the students. Even subjects like landscape design and management—seemingly self-explanatory—drew a variety of definitions, with most students settling on “something to do with agriculture.” Students could not envision the coursework and likely career outcomes associated with these fields of study.
The data gathered supported the idea that prospective students would benefit from time to fully explore their options before having to declare a specific major. Most students are interested in a single broad major that will let them explore various concentrations or areas of specialization. Prospective students may know agriculture appeals to them, but need time to explore the possibilities and career opportunities available to them.
With this data we have been able to better attract prospective students. Our brand portfolio includes a statement of what HCS represents (our “promise”), a set of departmental attributes, a tagline, a thumbnail sketch of the HCS Department (our “elevator speech”) and examples of marketing copywriting using audience-appropriate language. As a result of the study, we have changed our curriculum to offer a single broad major and allow students to explore a variety of concentrations and specializations before they decide exactly what it is they want to study. Thus, HCS will offer one major, Agricultural and Environmental Plant Sciences, with seven concentrations.
These findings may have broad applications for Horticulture, Crop Science and Plant Science programs at other institutions to aid them to recruit students to fill a significant and growing need in the nationwide Agricultural Plant Science Industry.