The College of Agriculture is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this week, including Ag-spirit activities, visits from past alumni and staff, and the All-Ag banquet, the college’s assistant dean says.

The College of Agriculture always has Ag-spirit week every year before the All-Ag banquet, Mollie Williams, secretary of the Ag-Council, said.

It’s a way for agriculture students to get together and show their spirit for the College of Agriculture, Williams said.

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The reason for Ag-awareness is to let people know more about Agriculture. It’s not just farming. There are a lot of different facets from agriculture. Twenty percent of the U.S. is employed in Agriculture.

Also included in the week is today’s forestry conclave exhibition day in front of the College of Agriculture, where the forestry department exhibits forestry skills, and Friday’s Ag-T-shirt Day, in which agriculture students wear their agriculture club t-shirts to support the college.

The event before the 40th Anniversary Program is Fridays’ All-Ag banquet run by the Agriculture Students Advisory Council. It is to honor college alumni, Lori Sefton, assistant dean of the college, said.

The most important awards at the banquet go to students, Tuesday Ashner, secretary in the deans office said. They include the Outstanding Junior Award, Outstanding Club Award and Outstanding Senior Award.

The anniversary is focused on alumni who are coming to visit and reminisce, Sefton said.

This is a time for alumni to visit with faculty, Sefton said.

Past alumni receive awards for achievements that they have made in agriculture. The awards include the Outstanding Alum; Outstanding Young Alum, which goes to someone who has graduated in the past 10 years; and the faculty service award, which goes to the faculty member who is seen as giving the best service.

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Also, this year is the first year for the Donald M. Elkins Excellence In Education Award for outstanding teaching.

The speaker for this year’s banquet will be Floyd Doering, former Wisconsin State Supervisor of Agriculture Education and State Future Farmers of America Adviser.

A number of alumni coming back from all over is exciting, Sefton said.

Saturday is the 40th Anniversary Program. It begins with brunch and a tour through the campus for visiting alums.

It will conclude with presentations by former deans Wendell Keepper(1955-1974), Gilbert Kroening( 1974-1986), James Tweedy(1986-1992), and William Herr(1992-1993). They will talk about their years as dean, Sefton said.

There will also be a presentation by the present dean, James McGuire.

The All-Ag banquet is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m., in Student Center Ballrooms C and D, and the 40th Anniversary Program is scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m.