The Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business (STB) at Iowa State University (ISU) has had an exciting and productive 2022 and are ending the year with a big celebration!
In November of 2022 the STB program celebrated its 100th graduate with Nick Wilmoth successfully defending his final creative component on developing seedling assays to determine the effectiveness of seed treatments against soil-borne pathogens.
“It’s an exciting milestone to hit our 100th graduate,” says Lori Youngberg, Program Specialist of the STB program. “Our students are a very impressive hard-working group. I’m proud to say I know almost all of the 100 graduates of this program and they are now true leaders in the seed industry.”
The STB program had its first cohort in the fall of 2007 and has been providing seed industry professionals with online seed science and business courses for 15 years. The program is one-of-a-kind, and is perfect for the working professional and international student. It offers specialized seed-industry knowledge from faculty with real-life experience in the field, along with business courses similar to what students would encounter in a more traditional Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
“The STB program provides students with valuable insight into the seed industry,” says Dr. Gary Munkvold, Director of the STB program. “With our partnership between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Ivy College of Business, our students are getting education that will train them to be effective and successful seed industry leaders.”
In a survey sent to STB alumni in Spring of 2022, 96% of alumni stated the program benefitted them professionally, 73% indicated they were considered more favorably for a promotion after graduating, and 100% of alumni either already have, or will, recommend the STB program to people working in the seed industry.
Youngberg is pleased about the direction of the STB program “We are looking forward to educating the next 100 graduates and know they will be leading the seed industry into the future. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the STB program.”
