Food science professor Kristen Gibson and poultry science associate professor Bill Potter have been named co-directors of U of A's online master's degree program in food safety.

The program is offered 100 percent online to meet the demands of working professionals and the companies that employ them. It focuses on scientific knowledge in food safety, quality assurance and risk assessment, and is interdisciplinary with classes from food science, poultry science, the National Agricultural Law Center and agricultural education.

Gibson is a member of the faculty, and a researcher and scientist with U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the UA System Division of Agriculture.

Gibson is also the Donald "Buddy" Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety and director of the Division of Agriculture's Center for Food Safety. Her research focuses on the fate and transport of pathogens within food systems with a focus on human noroviruses and fresh produce as well as retail food safety. Potter is also a Bumpers College faculty member, and the Poultry Federation chair of food safety and processing extension. He has worked throughout his career with extension specialists, national food safety government leaders, and global companies in food manufacturing, animal health and biotechnology.

"The industry expertise and connections of Dr. Potter combined with the institutional knowledge and curriculum development experience of Dr. Gibson makes this a great team to lead and grow our online M.S. food safety program," said Bumpers College dean Jeff Edwards. "This is another way that Bumpers College is addressing the workforce needs of our state and beyond. Our goal is to become the premier program nationally."

The food safety program is one of more than 100 degree, certificate and licensure programs offered by the campus' academic colleges and promoted on the U of A ONLINE website. Online programs support the university's mission to serve students living across Arkansas and beyond.

Gibson and Potter are working to grow the size and prominence of the program by providing leadership, organization and marketing initiatives.

Specifically, Gibson is working with college leadership on leading the program's steering committee, evaluating the curriculum and managing changes, leading the admissions process and assignment of advisors, and advising the dean on course scheduling.

"I have been on the steering committee for the program since 2012, and I have advised numerous students and taught three courses in the program over the past decade," said Gibson. "I am passionate about serving the needs of our students and seeing them succeed and advance in their careers. I am excited about the opportunity to increase the impact of the program alongside Bill."

Potter is serving as an industry liaison to better understand industry needs, changing market conditions and potential barriers to student entry and success; surveying alumni to evaluate program impact and identify additional certification or similar programs needing post-graduation development; creating a recruiting and marketing strategy with the dean's office and the Global Campus; and identifying potential adjunct faculty who can teach current or new courses.

"On-line training in food safety systems and management is a fantastic opportunity for food industry professionals," said Potter. "The M.S. in Food Safety Program provides students many benefits: they receive technical training to help them succeed in their day-to-day jobs, while networking on-line with other food safety professionals and instructors, and ultimately gaining new food safety credentials through their graduate degree."

During the fall 2024 semester, industry professionals enrolled in the program were located in 20 states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The program is based on U.S. standards, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points principles and food safety laws and regulations. It emphasizes preventative processes, problem-solving skills, and the scientific foundations that drive industry standards like food microbiology, toxicology and epidemiology.

The non-thesis program requires 30 total hours and one course per semester for nine credits per year, and is estimated to take three years to complete. Deadlines to register are July 1 for the fall semester and Dec. 1 for the spring semester.

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About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.