Raises eight questions for ACE members: " 1) Are we glorified clerks or are we scientists? 2) What are desirable forms of publication and information materials? Scientists are demanding longer bulletins. The public is calling for shorter. 3) What should be the professional training of men and women to become agricultural and home editors? One school suggests that all that is needed in our fields is a certain facility -- we are engaged in a science -- home scientists measure success by acceptance in AP and UP. 4) Is there opportunity for research in the field of farm and home editing? 5) What is to be the future of agriculture and what leadership will the college of agriculture, the experiment stations, and the USDA be called upon to give? Together with our institutions, we must begin long-time planning. 6) What place has and will the radio have in carrying to the people the results of research? 7) How shall we measure results in our field? 8) What are we going to do about it?"
Recommendations from the Professional Development Committee of AAACE. They include sabbatical leaves, exchange appointments, short-term media experience (unpaid leave from college position). "Members of the association were emphatic in their statement that editors should be given the same privileges of sabbatical leave as other college workers and that they should develop their jobs and positions so that they would have a rank equivalent to that of any professorship on the campus."
Summary of findings from a survey among agricultural communicators on professional work, interests, educational background, training needs and qualifications for training others.
Author emphasizes intellectual curiosity as a striking characteristic of the effective agricultural college editor. Among other cited credentials: agricultural college education, newspaper training and practical farm experience.
Presentation by R. W. Trullinger, chief of the office of experiment stations and assistant research administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at 1950 AAACE conference. Calls for AAACE to become a stronger professional organization and urges development of strong agricultural journalism training programs. "Has your group gone on record urging the Association to increase opportunities for professional agricultural journalism?" "There must be a basic reason why the editorial departments are so frequently assigned quarters in the basement or attic; why the editor so often has to take on nondescript chores ranging from the duties of janitor to teaching English."