University of Mount Olive Students Recieve American FFA Degrees
MOUNT OLIVE- Each year the National FFA Organization honors FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the organization. The American FFA Degree is bestowed upon a select group of individuals for excelling over a period of years in academic and professional excellence. Four University of Mount Olive students joined that exclusive list of awardees this year.
Luke Hill of Elizabethtown; Patricia Purvis of Grantham; Brian Stewart, Jr. of LaGrange; and Joshua Wisniewski of Elizabeth City received their American FFA Degree at the 86th National FFA Convention which was held in Louisville, Kentucky after being in Indiana for the past six years.
Dr. Sandra Maddox of Clinton serves as advisor of the University of Mount Olive Collegiate FFA. While at National FFA Convention she received the Honorary American FFA Degree which is the highest honor that can be given to a non-member by the National FFA Organization. As a result of all of the dedication that Maddox provides to FFA, she was recognized as one of only five North Carolinians that received the honor at this year’s convention.
Additionally, David Thomas of Timberlake and Jessica Hogan of Goldsboro attended the national conference, and in conjunction with award recipients, judged and scored the Farm Business Management Career Development Event. The Farm Business Management CDE helps students develop business management skills and learn to apply economic principles to agriculture and agribusiness.
Collegiate FFA President David Thomas represented University of Mount Olive during the North Carolina brunch supported by the Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center and University of Mount Olive Collegiate FFA. Thomas talked with FFA advisors and members about the unique opportunities at University of Mount Olive and highlighted courses offered in both the Agribusiness and Agriculture Education degree programs. The brunch was attended by over 250 North Carolina FFA members and advisors.
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 579,678 student members in grades 7 through 12 who belong to one of 7,570 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.