Archives: Committees

The Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) is the representative governing body of the Experiment Station Section (ESS), a unit of the APLU Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR), Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA). ESCOP handles continuing business, organization, and policy issues on behalf of the state agricultural experiment station directors and administrators. The ESCOP also provides liaison representatives to a variety of other committees, agencies, associations, and organizations. These representatives are appointed by the Chair of ESCOP after consultation with the Executive Committee.

Each 1862 agricultural experiment station director and 1890 research director participates in a regional association: Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NERA), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the Northeast Region; North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NCRA), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the North Central Region; Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (SAAESD), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the Southern Region; Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the Western Region; and Association of Research Directors (ARD), the official representative body of the agricultural research administrators of the 1890 Land-grant institutions. All regional associations are affiliated with APLU through the Experiment Station Section and are represented on ESCOP, but are fundamentally independent organizations.

ESCOP has a direct oversight role regarding decisions that impact ESS funds. ESCOP delegates supervisory responsibility for the management of ESS funds to the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee membership includes: the Past ESCOP Chair (who also serves as chair of the Finance Committee), Incoming ESCOP Chair, ESCOP chair, and one atlarge member (2- year term, renewable, preferably from a region not represented by the Past, Incoming and Current ESCOP chairs, selected during the annual fall ESS meeting). The Finance Committee is supported by a regional Executive Director who serves as the Executive Vice Chair. The Finance Committee shall draft and present a budget and budget narrative to the ESCOP Chair’s Advisory Committee, for review and approval prior to submitting it to ESS for adoption; act in an advisory capacity and give counsel regarding financial matters affecting the organization; coordinate payments/reimbursements from ESS operating funds with appropriate APLU offices and personnel (e.g., Vice President of the Office of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources and Office of Finances); conduct an orientation for ESCOP on income and expenses; and review the investment plan annually. The specific responsibilities of the Finance Committee and the investment policies of the Experiment Station Section are described in the “Investment Policy of the Experiment Station Section”.