Agricultural Sciences

Penn State Offers Agribusiness Executive Education Program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Agribusiness executives seeking an intensive management seminar tailored to the issues facing their industry should look no further than the Penn State Agribusiness Executive Program, to be held May 17-22 at the University Park campus.

The College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration have developed an educational program designed for high-level executives and managers in progressive agribusiness companies. The session will be presented by the business college's Penn State Executive Programs staff in the Executive Education Center, which is part of the Nittany Lion Inn.

"Agribusiness issues are complex and different from other industries," explains Dick Zimmerman, retired chairman and CEO of Hershey Foods. "An executive seminar addressing such issues as impacts of federal and state regulations and legislation, transportation of perishable products, international commodity marketing and consumer market research would give any savvy executive a leg up on the competition."

The week-long seminar will cover topics such as global competition, shareholder value, shifting consumer preferences and leading change within an organization. The intensive workshop atmosphere combines feedback and contributions from the participants with more formal instruction from the Penn State Executive Programs staff. In addition, the small class size encourages learning in a highly interactive atmosphere.

The faculty for the executive program includes experts on corporate finance, transportation and logistics, and global competition from the Smeal College of Business Administration, and specialists in agricultural economics from the College of Agricultural Sciences. Executives from agribusinesses also will be featured presenters.

"Bringing in executives from a wide spectrum of agribusinesses will make Penn State's Agribusiness Executive Program a really worthwhile learning experience," says John Zerbe, senior vice president of Purina Mills. Executives from such corporations as Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. and American Cyanimid Co. have already enrolled in the program. Other participants are coming from firms in Texas, Iowa and Peru.

Tuition for the program is $3,900, including the costs of instruction, program materials, textbooks, private room accommodations at the Nittany Lion Inn, airport limousine service, all meals, and use of most Penn State exercise facilities.

For further information on programs or content, contact Jim Menoher, at (800) 311-6364, 814-865-3435, or write to Penn State Executive Programs, The Smeal College of Business Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, 310 Business Administration Building, University Park, PA, 16802-3003, or Debra Sheaffer-Ellis, Conference and Short Course Office, 306 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802-2601. Information on the program also is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.cas.psu.edu (click on "conferences") or http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep.

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EDITORS: For more information, please contact Deb Sheaffer-Ellis at 814-865-8301.

Contacts: John Wall jtw3@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax

Last Updated March 19, 2009