A real-world event at Cal Poly - California Polytechnic University's Dairy Products Technology Center

Dairy Foods, Jan, 1997 by Daniel Best

Dairy industry dignitaries, producers, manufacturers, state officials, faculty and students gathered in San Luis Obispo, Calif., on Oct. 15 to formally open California Polytechnic State University's (Cal Poly's) Dairy Products Technology Center (DPTC) for business. The new facility is the tangible outcome of a three-way partnership between Cal Poly, California dairy producers and the dairy processing industry.

"This facility underscores our mission to bring real-world problems into the classroom and laboratory," said Cal Poly President Warren Baker in his opening address. Baker noted that California's investment in Cal Poly-DPTC is particularly timely given California's new status as the United States' premier milk producer and unique position to serve burgeoning Pacific Rim markets.

Keynote speaker and Cal Poly alumnus David Hettinga, currently vice president and senior technical officer of Land O'Lakes, concurred in noting that universities must learn to adapt to real-world problems.

"We're clearly moving into an age where knowledge is increasingly valuable in the marketplace and workplace," said Hettinga. Warning that the rapid pace of change in our world can also prove to be a university's Achilles' heel, Hettinga recommended that universities differentiate their research programs from one another and focus on preparing students for industry.

"Interpersonal responsiveness, manners, appearance, communicativeness, active listening and other 'soft skills' are neither taught, nor discussed by teachers ... why not?" asked Hettinga rhetorically.

Conversely, industry also must become more involved in the evolution of universities, acknowledged Hettinga, citing the many levels of involvement that Land O'Lakes has developed with universities as an example of what needs to be done.

"I would urge my industry peers to listen when university researchers come calling, understand the important contributions they make and respond with meaningful support," said Hettinga.

It was fitting that Hettinga chose Cal Poly to reaffirm the food and dairy industry's vested interest in partnering research and training programs with universities. Small and nimble, Cal Poly represents an educational tradition among California's agricultural community that is relatively new to industrial research. As such, Cal Poly offers a clean slate, upon which the cultural relationship between a publicly funded academic institution and industry can be rewritten.

Processors assistance

"We recognize a great opportunity to redefine how we meet the technical needs of industry," said Philip Tong, ex. dir.-DPTC.

"For small companies, we can offer technical support that they may not be able to afford in-house," says Tong. "Larger companies may not need our technology development skills; however, we can nonetheless provide them with valuable resources in the form of training and research facilities."

The fact remains that California is one of the world's top 10 dairy producing regions and Cal Poly-DPTC will help keep it there, said Adri Boudewyn, ceo, California Milk Advisory Board.

"This facility will permit California's dairy industry to produce ideas and products for new markets ... and new markets will mean new benefits for consumers," said Boudewyn.

Simply put, "we plan to make our dairy science department No. 1 in the nation," said Joseph Jens, Cal Poly's Dean of Agriculture.

It's off to a good start.