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Governor's School for Agriculture

Welcome to the Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for Agriculture at Virginia Tech

The Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for Agriculture (GSA) at Virginia Tech provides academically rigorous educational enhancement for future scientists and leaders of Virginia, the United States, and the world. GSA students interact with and learn directly from internationally known teachers, scientists, and researchers from Virginia Tech, a leading research university. Students attending the Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for Agriculture at Virginia Tech will be selected from the most able rising juniors and seniors from the Commonwealth's public, private, and home schools.

The mission of the Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture at Virginia Tech is to develop future leaders and scientists for careers in agriculture. Concentration is placed on the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics within the five United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) initiatives: 

  • childhood obesity prevention,
  • food safety, 
  • resilient agroecosystems in a changing climate, 
  • sustainable bioenergy, and 
  • water for food production systems.

Governor’s School for Agriculture also strives to demonstrate and help students connect the five USDA-NIFA initiatives with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This is done to build an understanding of global issues related to food, fiber, fuel, and shelter, how those issues impact people and communities, and the role agriculture plays in providing solutions to complex problems.

This mission will be accomplished through rigorous scientifically-informed courses and experiential-based activities such as academic research, lab work, and field trips.

Goals of the Governor’s School for Agriculture at Virginia Tech are to:

  1. Provide a rigorous agricultural educational program that will challenge gifted and talented students to study and research the scientific nature of agriculture as it relates to and affects the Virginia and global agriculture industry;
  2. Provide structured educational discourse designed to increase the students’ ability to critically think and solve problems associated with providing safe, economical, and environmentally sustainable food, fiber, fuel, and shelter to the world’s population.
  3. Acquaint rising junior and senior students with scientific education and career opportunities available in agricultural economics, agricultural leadership, animal science, biological systems engineering, food and nutrition science, plant science, and veterinary medicine;
  4. Promote an atmosphere of inquiry and dialogue while learning to embrace a diversity of cultures, thoughts, ideas, and perspectives as a way to develop culturally competent and effective communicators. 

Opportunity for Collaboration

Please consider using the GSA as an educational outreach program for your externally-funded research. The GSA is funded with grant dollars received from the Virginia Department of Education. For the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, it is an annual outreach program for presenting the latest research to Virginia’s gifted and talented students interested in agriculture. Contact Brett Milliken, for more details.

Contact Us

Virginia Governor's School for Agriculture
Virginia Tech, Mail Code 0343
175 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Director
Brett Milliken

Phone:  540-231-6836
Fax:  540-231-3824
Email: agschool@vt.edu

Sponsors and Partners

Interested in sponsoring or partnering with the Governor's School for Agriculture? Contact Brett Milliken. You can also give directly to supporting GSA through the Virginia Tech Foundation.

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