Pierce College Agriculture

M. Stephen Sheldon is way off base in his criticism of the Pierce College Agriculture Department and his belief that only agriculture faculty and neighbors support the agriculture programs. (Letters to the Valley Edition, Sept. 1.)

Support for preservation and restoration of the 240-acre farm and the modernization of the agriculture curricula is widespread throughout the Los Angeles area. I know because I have spent the past five years listening to students, teachers, parents, community business and service organizations, and the agriculture industry voice their support. They also voice their frustration at the lack of a decisive administrative commitment to preserve the farm and the inadequate progress being made toward restoration and modernization of the farm and agriculture curricula.

Pierce College must continue to provide urban youth the opportunity to discover career choices leading to full participation in California’s dynamic role in agricultural production, research and agribusiness, both in our state and national economies, as well as throughout the world. The question is not whether to get rid of the farm or the agriculture curricula, but how to adequately fund them without impacting other campus programs.

Past college administrations have ignored the two most basic solutions to the funding problem: endowments and grants. These are tried-and-true avenues that exist at most four-year colleges and universities and many community colleges. We are approaching the 50th anniversary of Pierce College. It would be a fitting tribute to the vision of Clarence W. Pierce to tackle the funding challenge of the farm and agriculture curricula by providing the framework that secures the future for this unique and irreplaceable educational resource.

MARGO MURMAN

Woodland Hills

Murman is president of the Coalition to Save the Farm.