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October 2007
DELVAL'S DIAMOND NAMED HONORARY COUNTY AGENT 2007
DOYLESTOWN, Pa., -- (October 23, 2007) -- James E. Diamond, dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley College, received the 2007 Honorary County Agent Award during the Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of County Agents held October 22 at Pennsylvania State University. The award recognizes outstanding performance in agricultural programming.
Diamond, a 1961 DelVal graduate, is responsible for overseeing all academic-related matters, including program development, evaluation, faculty development, strategic planning and budgeting, for the Agriculture and Environmental Sciences departments at DelVal. Diamond earned his Ph.D., from Pennsylvania State University and served as an assistant professor at the University in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education where he was responsible for the Agricultural Science Major, served as director of Internship Programs for College of Agricultural Sciences and served as director of Instructional Materials Services.
In 1982, he had his first international assignment with PSU in Mali and Cameroon. In 1986, he went to Swaziland as an extension teaching specialist and helped develop their research station. After retiring from Penn State he became a freelance international consultant for the United Nations and the US Agency for International Development. He has done extension work in 47 different countries on 4 continents. One of his more noteworthy accomplishments occurred in the Far East where his work helped reform the Agri-Technical schools in the People's Republic of China. They adopted his recommended "learning by doing" concept and today that model is used by 40,000 teachers in 365 schools in China.
During his time at Delaware Valley College, Diamond has developed many programs and grant proposals, has teamed with Penn State's 4-H staff to bring at risk youth to Del Val's A Day so that the children would learn where their food comes from, he is a part-time livestock/woodland farmer and serves as reviewer for the "Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education." Diamond has authored "Domestic Animal Bells from Around the World" and co-authored "Historical Excerpts of Pennsylvania Granges," and has been recognized by "Who's Who" in American Education in the East.
Diamond earned his bachelor's degree in animal husbandry, his master's degree in counseling from Lehigh University and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from The Pennsylvania State University.
DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE TRAINS IN ORGANICS
DOYLESTOWN, Pa., -- (October 17, 2007) - Earlier this year, Delaware Valley College become one of only a handful of colleges nationwide to offer a course titled "Organic Crop Science."
After looking at the latest figures on organic food sales -- growing at the rate of 20 to 25 percent per year and organic products have skyrocketed to an estimated $8 to $10 billion per year industry - it is clear that Americans understand the health and environmental benefits of organically grown products; organics are well inside the American mainstream and are gaining in popularity everyday.
A course like Delaware Valley College's addresses the need for highly trained personnel to work in the industry and is meant to help those who will grow, market, certify and distribute organic goods.
This course is for individuals interested in gaining the working knowledge and hands-on experience vital for careers in certification, production, and marketing, according to Dr. Barbara Muse, chair of Delaware Valley College's Horticulture Department. The Organic Crop Science course will give students a good understanding of organics and the potential impact on personal health and the environment.
Areas for review include plant nutrition, soil fertility, soil management and disease control from an organic perspective. In addition, techniques in the production and marketing of organic fruits and vegetables, herbs and flowers and turf grasses will be covered as will current regulations and trends for growers and consumers. The course is three credits with lecture and lab.
For information about this or other programs and courses in horticulture offered at Delaware Valley College, visit http://www.delval.edu.
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DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE TO HOST DATA PRIVACY DISCUSSION
DOYLESTOWN, Pa., -- (October 4, 2007) – Is your identity in jeopardy? Are your home and office computers secure protected? Is your data and information safe? Join members of the Delaware Valley College Computer and Business Information Systems Department and Association of Information Technology Professionals for a discussion on Tuesday, October 23 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 103 of the Allman building.
Emery J. Kohut, manager of the North American Security Operations Center for the Unisys Managed Services Centers, will lead the discussion titled “Network Security: Data Privacy and Protection.” The event is free and open to the public.
“There are many driving factors that threaten our privacy and individuals need to have a general understanding of businesses and how they use networks, how they handle their personal information and where the threats are,” said Kohut. “The information we will discuss is applicable to individual as well as corporations.”
Kohut has been with Unisys since 1985. He is a Delaware Valley College graduate and is continually involved with security infrastructure. He has designed security solutions and has taught courses in data communications, Web design, and information security.
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