The U of A Department of Poultry Science recently received a grant in the amount of $33,309.00 from the USPOULTRY Harold E. Ford Foundation, through a gift given in part by the Monty and Margot Henderson Student Recruiting Fund.

The foundation was created to provide funds to train and educate students for the advancement of the poultry industry. Dr. David Caldwell, department head and director for the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, said the gift will help support recruitment efforts such as the annual Poultry Science Youth Conference, the youth broiler show at the Arkansas State Fair, in-service training for faculty and other recruiting activities. The Department of Poultry Science at the U of A is one of the six universities in the United States that has a department dedicated to the study of poultry science.

"The USPOULTRY Foundation contributions to the Poultry Science Department are tremendously important to the recruitment and retention efforts we employ to grow our undergraduate student population." Caldwell said. "This is essentially the only funding we receive on an annual basis that specifically targets new student recruitment. We are extremely appreciative of the continued support we receive from the USPOULTRY Foundation and the Monty and Margot Henderson Student Recruiting Fund. We have recently established a new goal for undergraduate enrollment and are eager to put these funds to work as we strive to accomplish this goal."

The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded recruiting grants totaling $328,300 for the 2018-19 school year to 34 colleges and universities across the United States with either a poultry science department or a poultry studies program. The student recruiting program dates to 1994, when the USPOULTRY board of directors established the foundation to provide annual recruiting funds to attract students to poultry studies and ultimately into careers in the poultry industry.