Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture was created by the Senate in 1910. It was to come under the aegis of the Faculty of Science but a separate Board of Study was established and plans for a new building to house the Department were drawn up although the construction work did not get underway until 1914 and it was not completed until 1916 or fully equipped until 1920.The Chair of Agriculture had been appointed in February 1910 and took a very active part in all aspects of the Departments development. This was Robert Watt, previously a chemist at the Transvaal Department of Agriculture, with an MA and a DSc from Glasgow University. Watt devised a four year degree leading to a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture which was the first of its kind in Australia. Because of this there were no agricultural science graduates to employ as lecturers in the country and, since funding did not cover the importation of graduates from overseas, Watt had no option but to employ experienced but unqualified locals until the University began to produce their own graduates to fill these roles.The degree focused heavily upon practical experience and before being admitted to the course the prospective student was required to have spent 12 months either at an agricultural college or at an approved farm. The first year was taught much like the regular Science degree but the second, third and fourth years focused upon more professional subjects such as plant pathology, viticulture and stable management.The first students were enrolled in 1910 and both they and the enrolees of 1911 went on to have successful careers in their field. One of these students, Walter Lowry Waterhouse, went on to become a lecturer at the University and later a Research Professor, with a distinguished academic career which made a great contribution to the excellent reputation of Department worldwide.In 1912 the staff and students formed the Sydney University Agricultural Society with Watt as President. It was open not only to University members but to past and present staff and students from other universities and was well known for its social functions as well as its aim to promote agricultural science.A dip in student enrolments after the war meant that the first female students were encouraged to enrol and in 1918 there were 14 students, six of whom were women and, although this trend did not continue, it was one of the first science disciplines to actively encourage female enrolments. In 1920 Agriculture became a separate Faculty. 'In 1918 a proposal went to the Professorial Board for the establishment of a new faculty, the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. This motion prompted the Board to refer the matter to a Committee who reported back on 9 December 1918 that the then current academic organisation of the University required some modification, in particular the Faculty of Science which was so comprehensive and heterogeneous that it no longer had common ground between all the disciplines which fell under its aegis. The Committee therefore recommended the University organisation be expanded to include 10 faculties, these being: Arts; Law; Medicine; Pure Science; Engineering; Agriculture; Veterinary Science; Dentistry; Economics and Architecture. The report was accepted by the Professorial Board and forwarded to the Senate for consideration. On 3 November 1919 the Senate accepted a report from a committee they had created to consider these recommendations and the new faculties were given the go ahead. In 1920 new By-Laws established the faculties under Chap IX, the constitution of and details about the Faculty of Agriculture are outlined in Chap VXII,1-13. With the establishment of the Faculty, the Department of Agriculture and the Board of Studies in Agriculture ceased to exist.