Ferguson College of Agriculture

 

In January 2025, the Oklahoma State University Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow club held the National ACT Professional Development Conference. The new semester kicked off by hosting ACT members from across the nation on the OSU campus for a four-day event packed full of networking, learning and laughing the “Cowboy Way,” which was the theme of the weekend. OSU ACT welcomed more than 80 students from nine different universities, along with 30 faculty, staff and special guests from around the country.

 

As imagined, the planning for this national event started long before attendees arrived in Stillwater. OSU ACT was nominated to host the event in July 2024 at the Agricultural Media Summit. Soon after, the planning began, and students and faculty at OSU geared up for an exciting event. A team of five ACT students were on the PDC planning committee and worked with Kenna Sandberg, OSU ACT co-advisor, to prepare for the event.

 

“Technically, planning started the beginning of August, once we were elected and trying to think of the thought process of what we wanted to plan, who we wanted to contact, what we wanted the scheduling to be like,” Sandberg said.

 

Throughout the four-day event, attendees heard from guest speakers and industry leaders, went on an industry tour, participated in a community service event, and wrapped up their weekend with an ACT gala. Attendees heard from multiple guest speakers who covered a variety of topics regarding agricultural communications. Sandberg said the goal of the event was to build connections and learn about an array of agricultural communications topics.

 

“The overall goal was building those industry connections and allowing them to have some individuals to reach out to when they get to a point in their career that they are looking for full-time jobs or internships and being able to build up their skill set,” Sandberg said. “We want to enhance some experiences that aren’t necessarily seen in the classroom.”

 

The event was a learning experience for attendees and OSU ACT. Sandberg said the event was a success and was a chance to help get ACT members from all universities excited about the opportunities within the National ACT. Sandberg said OSU ACT would be excited to host again sometime in the future.

 

“I think it was a learning experience that was great for our OSU ACT chapter to experience, Sandberg said. “I hope that we get more opportunities like this.”

 

 To learn more about the agricultural communications program or the OSU ACT club, visit the website.