Students in the A&E Department at ACU take learning outside the classroom through involvement in mission trips, service-learning, internships and a number of pre-professional organizations, including these:
AES Club
Alpha Epsilon Sigma (formerly the Aggie Club) is composed of Abilene Christian University students who either have an interest in agriculture or an agricultural background. Many of the members are Agriculture majors who enjoy participating in events with their classmates.
AES also serves as an “umbrella organization” for the pre-professional clubs. The pre-professional clubs served by AES are Block and Bridle and Delta Tau Alpha. Each of these clubs act as a subsidiary unit to AES while retaining a distinct orientation.
Every Thursday, members have the opportunity to participate in an AES chapel led by their peers. We invite you to join the A&E Department at Abilene Christian University and become an active part of Alpha Epsilon Sigma.
Block & Bridle Club
The Block and Bridle Club focuses on agriculture through an emphasis on the many animal-related aspects. ACU has been a member of this national organization since 1966. This club gives students the opportunity to experience animal agriculture at a personal level.
This club also encourages student membership in professional organizations. For more information about Block and Bridle, please contact the chapter advisor, Dr. Ed Brokaw. The following sites will also provide you with additional information about animal agriculture:
Block & Bridle: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/clubs/blockandbridle/
American Society of Animal Science: https://www.asas.org/
Delta Tau Alpha National Agricultural Honor Society
The Honor Society of Delta Tau Alpha recognizes scholarship, leadership and character in students pursuing an agricultural degree at a non land-grant school. ACU’s Delta Tau Alpha chapter was chartered in 1961. ACU also boasts several national officers, the national faculty advisor, and has been named honorable mention in the Corbus Award competition in the past years.
National Delta Tau Alpha Homepage: https://www.achsnatl.org/
Agricultural Consortium of Texas (ACT)
ACT is composed of thirteen universities offering degrees in agriculture or natural resources. The ACU Department of Agriculture and Environment has been an institutional member of the ACT since 1991. It is the only private university in the consortium. Started and supported by a Kellogg Foundation grant, select students from each university are involved in the spring conference. One outcome of student involvement was the formation of the Texas Collegiate Agricultural Students Alliance (TXCasa).
For more information about the ACT visit: https://www.agintexas.org
North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA)
The ACU Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences is an institutional member of the NACTA. NACTA is a professional society focused on promoting and recognizing excellence in teaching agriculture and related areas at the post secondary level in North America.
ACU faculty members have served as national president, southern region director, Delta Tau Alpha liaison and as chairs and members of various committees. Several ACU faculty hold the distinction of NACTA Teacher Fellows.
Students are also involved in NACTA through an annual national judging conference hosted by a member school. ACU has competed well at these conferences. Students and teams have won several individual and team awards and have contended for sweepstakes honors on several occasions.
Consortium of Agriculture Programs at Independent Colleges and Universities (CAPICU)
For information about CAPICU, visit: https://www.nactateachers.org/
For additional information about agriculture and environmental science topics visit the Agriculture Network Information Center at: https://www.agnic.org/