(Kingsville)—The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is revolutionizing ranching education to meet the ever-changing needs of the 21st century.
“Ranching is a constantly changing business. It isn’t enough just to be a cowboy these days,” said Barry Dunn, executive director and endowed chair of the institute. “You have to be a businessman, wildlife manager, animal expert and range conservationist all at the same time. Our new program is uniquely designed to produce ranch managers that are just that.”
The institute’s curriculum is unique, as each student’s plan of study is tailored to strengthen his or her skills and intellect in all areas of ranch management, including animal science, wildlife management, range management, business and system analysis.
The birth of the KRIRM was to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the King Ranch in 2003. The program accepted its first two students in fall 2004 and picked up two in fall 2005. The master’s degree curriculum is designed as a two-year program with two new students each year.
“When we look at the way traditional masters' programs are structured we see that the focus of their research is typically directed at one specific subject. However, the KRIRM program offers a flexible and diverse curriculum that requires its students to focus on the many different aspects of a ranching system,” said Clint Richardson, a first-year student from Orlando, Fla.
Matt
Etheredge
“I was intrigued by the opportunity to have the program tailored to my needs to become a successful ranch manager in the future and learn to apply a systematic approach to management and problem solving,” he said.
Matt Etheredge, a Texas Tech graduate and a second-year student from the Texas Panhandle town of Gruver, agrees. “The ranching industry is at a challenging time and the future will call for a different type of manager. You’ll need to be able to manage operations and sustain them while keeping the land management diverse and the ranch profitable. I feel this is a real-life program that can prepare me for that,” he said.
“The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management is a unique program that has as its central role the offering of a master of science degree in ranch management,” said Rumaldo Z. Juárez, university president.
The program is a two-year, intensive study program for mature and experienced students. It includes two internships. Students complete case studies on the most well-managed ranches in the U.S., and possibly international ranches.
“The goal of the institute is to produce a cadre of exceptional professionals who will be prepared to take on the challenges inherent in managing the large ranches found in South Texas,” said Ronald Rosati, dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences. “These new stewards of the land are trained in a systems approach to managing ranch resources.”
The institute works closely with the College of Business Administration, which offers many of the courses, outside the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, that new ranch managers need.
Student
Dave Genho
“We use the expertise we already have on campus in addition to lectureships by outside experts,” Dunn said. “The lectureships allow us to bring in these experts for a week or a month to give the students, and even community members and area ranchers, access to the best minds in the business.”
Unlike traditional graduate programs, students from the institute spend time in an internship on a ranch working with some of the finest ranch managers in the world.
“King Ranch has graciously offered to serve as a working laboratory for the students and participants in the institute,” Dunn said. “This unique opportunity adds tremendous depth and credibility to the entire program.”
Dunn said the program not only attracts prospective ranch managers from South Texas but also from around the United States and even the world.
The institute was created in conjunction with the people at King Ranch. The Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, the James H. Clement, Sr., family [which includes new regent Ida Clement "Weisie" Steen, profiled in the Spotlight section of this issue] and King Ranch Inc. each gave $1 million to kick off the fundraising campaign.
A management council composed of ranch managers, wildlife research and management representatives and representatives of other pertinent disciplines advise on the overall direction of the program and provide the life and work experience to ensure graduates will have the best broad-based education in ranch management possible.