Abstract
The educational programs offered by the University of Florida (UF), Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) at Immokalee provide educational opportunities to place-bound individuals in southwest Florida who are employed or otherwise unable to attend classes at the main campus. The program includes college level citrus and vegetable courses taught locally, and satellite down-link courses from the main campus. One of the exciting formats in citrus has been the cooperative effort between UF/IFAS and Edison Community College (ECC) in Fort Myers in providing a 2-year Associate in Science degree in Citrus Production Technology. Students take six UF courses in citrus taught by IFAS faculty at the Immokalee Center. Students also receive general education requirements in communications/humanities, mathematics/science, and social behavioral sciences at ECC. Two 4-year B.S. degree programs are being developed with Florida Gulf Coast University that will offer degrees in horticulture and agribusiness. These curricula are scheduled to begin in the fall semester of 1997. The horticulture degree will focus on citrus and vegetable production. The agribusiness degree will emphasize economics and marketing.
