ABAC to offer Rural Studies as part of curriculum

Will America lose the fabric of its existence?

It will, says Dr. David Bridges, president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, if America doesn’t preserve its rural heritage.

“Rural America is the fabric of this country,” Dr. Bridges stated as he addressed the members of the Dothan Rotary Club June 29. “Cities are nothing more than the pins, buttons and adornments of this country. America can do quite well without the cities.”

A graduate of ABAC, Dr. Bridges became the 100-year-old institution’s 10th president in July 2006. Since his graduation in 1978 until his appointment as president, ABAC has un-dergone a transformation.

Originally chartered as a two-year institution, ABAC now offers four-year degrees. The school has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1965. It was granted “State College” status by the University of Georgia System in May 2006.
With growth comes a need to expand the programs offered by the Tifton, Ga., institution.

Dr. Bridges was in town to tout a new program offered by ABAC, Rural Studies. He did so by explaining the importance of rural areas and the impact agriculture has on a region.

“I understand rural farming,” Dr. Bridges said. “Our college has served our rural areas for 100 years. We believe we are Georgia’s state college of choice. It’s a name we’ve coined for ourselves. We have been challenged by another state institution about that name. We have proof. There are 159 counties in Georgia. We have students from 155 of those counties. We also have students from 11 states and 17 countries. They chose to come to ABAC. We serve students from across the state and country.”

Many attend ABAC for its nationally recognized programs in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Home Economics and Nursing. By adding Rural Studies to the school’s curriculum, Dr. Bridges says ABAC will position itself to help preserve America’s rural heritage.

“I’m convinced that we have to preserve our rural communities,” Dr. Bridges said. “If we don’t, there will be no fabric (to America).

“The saddest day in a rural community is high school graduation night. Our brightest and best leave (for college), and they don’t come back. We can’t afford to let this continue to happen. Agriculture is the number one industry in Georgia. It’s the largest business in Georgia. We can’t afford to allow rural communities to fall apart.”

He noted those graduating seniors will continue to leave their rural roots, if they have no reason to return.

“These students will continue to leave if they believe there is no financial reward or opportunities in those communities,” Dr. Bridges stated. “We have an obligation to provide those opportunities.”

To meet that demand, Dr. Bridges said he met with the ABAC faculty to create a new course of study to attract and keep those interested in sustaining rural communities.

“I told them that we ought to aspire to be America’s leading agricultural liberal arts school,” Dr. Bridges noted. “America is built on the back of agriculture. America’s founding fathers were liberal-arts educated. Our new Rural Studies Program is the coming together of that goal.

“We think we’ve created a program that will send students from the rural area back to those areas with a great education. We will also take students from urban areas and educate them (in the importance of rural America) and have them go to rural areas (to work).”

Dr. Bridges also noted that economic development in any area goes hand in hand with education.

“With economic development professionals, the word is education,” Dr. Bridges added. “It will come up (when they visit a community or region). If you don’t have it, it says something about your community. The educational opportunities you afford your young people speaks volumes about your community.

“We can make a commitment to provide educational opportunities for our young folks.”