Cultivating Futures: ACEL Centennial 1917-2017

Welcome to our website celebrating the centennial of the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL) at The Ohio State University! Our department officially started on July 1, 1917, mere months after the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act that federally funded vocational agriculture programs across the country. The training of agriculture teachers for these programs became an imperative of the College of Agriculture at Ohio State, and the quick formation of our department is evidence of that commitment. Since our beginning focus on agriculture teacher preparation, our department has expanded its mission to include Extension education, agricultural communication and now community leadership. The department currently houses three undergraduate majors (agricultural communication, agriscience education, and community leadership), a master’s degree program and a doctoral degree program.

Our celebration is a year-long activity that kicks off with this website and video below. We are calling this centennial celebration “Cultivating Futures.” One of our hallmarks as a department is that we have had and continue to recruit talented students who become influential alumni. We are most proud of the futures that have been cultivated and look forward to the next 100 years of futures that have yet to be cultivated.

This website will continue to evolve with content and materials as the year progresses. Come back often to check out events, engage in our rich history, and explore the media related to our centennial celebration. We will also share opportunities for investing in the department to ensure another 100 years of students have great opportunities as much or more than those students from the first 100 years.

Even though our name has changed a few times throughout the years, we hope you still consider us your home at Ohio State. Having been a student, alumni, and now faculty member in this department – spanning all of those department names – I could not be more thrilled to be a part of this important milestone. I hope you will join me and the rest of the department in being an integral part of this momentous occasion!

Go Bucks!
Tracy Kitchel, Ph.D. (‘98, ‘99)
Professor and Chair