A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.

Aldo Leopold

Executive Summary: Social Responsibility Initiative

• Introduction
• A Longstanding Commitment
• Bridging Gaps Worldwide
• Working Together

A Longstanding Commitment

Far from being a new concept, the SRI builds on the public service mission and vision embodied in the original land-grant legislation of 1862. Our longstanding commitment to public education and research was redefined in the early 1990s when the college developed and introduced its innovative Ecological Paradigm, represented by a four-sided pyramid. The sides of the pyramid depict the college's four priority areas: production efficiency, economic viability, environmental compatibility, and social responsibility. Together, these concepts form an integrated approach to food, agriculture, and the environment with a combined strength much greater than if any one side of the pyramid stood alone.

The Department of Human and Community Resource Development (HCRD) has been asked to assume a leadership role in developing the college's interdisciplinary social responsibility initiative. In January 2005, the college approved a five-year plan with funding from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University Extension, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Academic Affairs, and HCRD. The intent is to leverage college support with external funding to advance the initiative's ambitious goals.