Department of Agricultural Business
Student Clubs and Organizations
Agricultural Business Club
The Agricultural Business Club welcomes all students of any major at Fresno State. Our members include Agricultural Business majors, as well as Animal Science, Ag Education, Ag Communications, Plant Science, and Viticulture/Tree Fruit students.
The primary function of the Ag Business Club is to provide students with a dynamic resource for both academic and industry involvement. The club provides formal and informal activities where students become acquainted, develop support systems and network with faculty and professionals in the agricultural industry.
Scheduled events include field trips to local ag businesses, a day trip and an overnight trip each year. The club hosts the annual Alumni Dinner in May which is a great opportunity to meet professionals in the industry and network. Members also enjoy BBQs and social activities such as pizza night, miniature golf, and bowling. During the semester, the Club meets at noon on the first Wednesday of every month with a guest speaker of interest to students.
The Ag Business Club invites interested students, of any major, to meet new friends and participate in the many exciting activities the club has to offer.
Alpha Gamma Rho
Alpha Gamma Rho is a social-professional fraternity that is truly unique when compared to other fraternities at Fresno State. Every member has an agricultural major or background. Most fraternities focus on the social aspects of the students' lives, but Alpha Gamma Rho deals with both social and professional issues, putting it in a class by itself. There are over 41,000 active members and alumni from 62 different colleges across the nation.
The Alpha Gamma Rho house is located on the fraternity mall only blocks from campus, allowing for easy interaction with the members of the other fraternities on campus. The house is capable of providing room and board for a price that is cheaper than the University dorms, as well as providing ten home cooked meals a week and a friendly, family environment.
The purpose of Alpha Gamma Rho is to make better men. One way of accomplishing this is by encouraging scholarship among its members. The house helps achieve this goal by providing its members with a study room with IBM computers capable of word processing and spreadsheet applications. Another strength of the fraternity is the strong support of its alumni, who award $3,000 each semester to deserving undergraduates from the house.
Please feel free to stop by and see what Alpha Gamma Rho has to offer you. If you have any questions, call the house at (559) 226-9519, and ask for the recruitment chairman, or stop by the house for a tour.
Alpha Zeta
Alpha Zeta (AZ) is the professional service and honorary agricultural fraternity for men and women in agriculture. The California Epsilon chapter at Fresno State is one of 64 chapters of Alpha Zeta, with over 95,000 members nationwide. Members are agricultural students who possess qualities of high scholarship, character, leadership, and personality. AZ develops leadership skills, acknowledges academic excellence, serves the college community and provides a networking system among and for its members. The California Epsilon chapter provides service to the college and community, a social atmosphere, a chance to meet and work with others with the same interests, and academic scholarships for those who qualify. AZ members are found around the world as presidents, senators, governors, CEOs, managers, bankers, ranchers and are recognized as professionals in agriculture.
AZ activities include a "Welcome Back BBQ," a fruit booth at The Big Fresno Fair (which is the organization's main fundraiser), fall and spring banquets, community and school projects, and many after-meeting activities such as pizza night, miniature golf, skiing, and bowling. For more information, please contact Dr. Todd Lone at (559) 278-4455.
Sigma Alpha
Sigma Alpha is a professional agricultural sorority that promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship among its members. SA is Fresno State's only professional and social sorority that has its roots based in agriculture. The objective of Sigma Alpha is to promote its members in all facets of agriculture and to strengthen the bonds of friendship among them. It is the purpose of the members to strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service, and to further the development of excellence in women pursuing careers in agriculture.
Jordan College Honors Program
The Jordan College Honors Program provides motivated students with an enhanced educational experience through advanced study and engagement with select Jordan College faculty. To be eligible, students must have declared a major in the Jordan College and have junior standing; be enrolled at Fresno State at the time of application; have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in their last 60 units; and submit a complete application by the Fall deadline. The application includes the submission of a personal statement, a current resume, a sample of academic writing, one letter of reference, and a copy of their unofficial transcript. The application process might also include a personal interview.
After being accepted into the program at the end of the Fall of their junior year, Jordan Scholars complete 9 units of honors work, 3 units per semester, for three consecutive semesters. In the Spring of their junior year, they take AGRI 100H: Honors Seminar; in the Fall of senior year, they do research with a faculty mentor for 3 units of independent study; and in their final Spring semester, they take AGRI 101H: Honors Colloquium, through which they learn to present and potentially publish the results of their research project. Jordan Scholars receive incentives such as priority registration, extended borrowing time for library materials, an Honors medallion to be worn in graduation ceremonies, and special recognition at the Jordan College commencement.
For further information, please contact the Honors Faculty Council Representative for the Department of Agricultural Business, Dr. Jiaochen Liang at 278-5686 or jiaochenl@csufresno.edu.