Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Canada's Historic University of Guelph Join to Offer Agribusiness Exchange Program

Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture and the Ontario Agricultural College of the University of Guelph in Canada have joined forces to offer an exchange program for both students and faculty.

The historic university outside Toronto is the premier agricultural research university of Canada, said Cal Poly Agribusiness Professor Wayne Howard. The University of Guelph was originally founded as an agricultural college in 1874, and includes a school of veterinary medicine.

Beginning in fall term 2003, Cal Poly students will be able to sign up for a term of study at the University of Guelph, and students there will be able to spend a term at Cal Poly, taking courses for credit toward their degrees. The exchange program allows up to six students per term from each campus to participate in the exchange. The universities will also participate in a faculty exchange program for agriculture professors, Howard said.

The exchange program will strengthen agricultural programs at both colleges, said Howard, who taught at the University of Guelph for 12 years. Cal Poly students will be able to take any courses Guelph offers, including organic agriculture and food science, two areas in which the University of Guelph is a North American leader, Howard explained. Students from Guelph will be able to take advantage of Cal Poly’s strong programs in agribusiness management, dairy management, irrigation and pest management and viticulture, Howard said.

Cal Poly’s Landscape Architecture Department in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design already has an exchange program with the University of Guelph, which offers landscape architecture through its Ontario College of Agriculture, Howard added.

For more information about the University of Guelph, visit the university’s Web site at www.uoguelph.ca, or contact Wayne Howard at whhoward@calpoly.edu. For details about Cal Poly, visit the university’s Web site at www.calpoly.edu.

Contact: Wayne Howard (805) 756-5022