[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":13},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-some-fear-cultural-shift-at-penn-state":3},{"ID":4,"headline":5,"news_date":6,"full_story":7,"author_id":8,"url_slug":9,"views":8,"active":10,"flag":11,"teaser":11,"last_modified":12,"sponsored":11,"image_caption":11},106,"Some Fear Cultural Shift at Penn State Alienates Ag Community","2026-05-03 21:19:54","\u003Cp>From \u003Ca\n        href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lancasterfarming.com\u002Ffarming-news\u002Fnews\u002Fsome-fear-cultural-shift-at-penn-state-alienates-ag-community\u002Farticle_bc0d108f-9d21-45f4-bf6b-18d1871d4a0d.html\"\n        target=\"_blank\">Lancaster Farming\u003C\u002Fa>:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Kirk Sattazahn is a proud graduate of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. He also understands why his\n    children have chosen to not follow in his footsteps.\n\n    Sattazahn and several others with Penn State connections are concerned a cultural and political shift in the\n    university may be alienating the ag community it was founded to serve.\n\n    It's a concern that has been echoed by some alumni and others in the ag community.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Communications staff for Penn State didn't respond to specific questions about the accusations, but did issue a\n    statement that the College of Ag remains focused on its core land-grant mission of advancing agriculture, stewarding\n    natural resources and supporting communities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>\"Our priority is — and it will always remain — serving our students and the people and industries that depend on\n    agriculture, natural resources and strong vibrant communities through research-based solutions, educating the next\n    generation, workforce development and strong community partnerships,\" according to the statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fversantstrategies.net\u002Fpeople\u002F\">MeeCee Baker\u003C\u002Fa> is a former Penn State faculty member and also\n    served in the executive office of the Pennsylvania\n    Department of Agriculture. Today she is the president and CEO of Versant Strategies, a government relations firm\n    focused\n    on agriculture and rural issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Baker said she has seen no evidence that the College of Ag, or the university, has shifted one way or the other, or\n    any\n    link of students being driven away from enrolling at Penn State.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>The college does have initiatives to foster accessibility and equity, she said, such as First-Gen Lighthouses, which\n    is\n    geared toward first generation college students in the College of Ag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Baker, who also serves on College of Ag Dean Troy Ott's Leadership Council, said the college is an all encompassing\n    place for everyone. That doesn't mean the college is promoting specific groups or lifestyles, she said, but rather\n    making space for everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>\"I started my teaching career in 1982, and Solanco High School in Lancaster County made space for me at a time when\n    there were very few females teaching production agriculture,\" Baker said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>\"But there was nobody beating the drum and doing open promotions for women to come in. It was just space, and that's\n    what I think the college has done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Promoting student success isn't a left or right issue, she said, but rather a goal that everyone should be in\n    agreement\n    on. Baker also expressed her faith in Ott's leadership to guide the College of Ag, noting he's a \"Pennsylvania farm\n    boy\"\n    who grew up on a Bucks County farm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Ott's farm background is something that means something to the rural community, she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>\"I believe what the dean is doing is promoting student success and saying all are welcome here,\" Baker said. \"I don't\n    see any exclusionary behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>\"I guess we can all get our hackles up when we hear these words, but in the college, accessibility and equity means\n    you're all welcome here. We're going to be happy to have all of you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\u003Cp>Read the full article on \u003Ca\n        href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lancasterfarming.com\u002Ffarming-news\u002Fnews\u002Fsome-fear-cultural-shift-at-penn-state-alienates-ag-community\u002Farticle_bc0d108f-9d21-45f4-bf6b-18d1871d4a0d.html\"\n        target=\"_blank\">Lancaster Farming\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>",0,"some-fear-cultural-shift-at-penn-state","Y","","2026-05-27 21:44:45",1780330265407]