ATI Wooster, 1983

The final installment of our regional campus series is this brief look at the Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute at Wooster, better known as OSU ATI.

OSU ATI, established in 1969, was the last of the regional campuses and the most specific with regard to its mission. It was designed to be the unit of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) that would grant Associate degrees and provide comprehensive agricultural education through a statewide mandate. The first classes took place in 1972 with 197 students enrolled in the campus’s first autumn quarter.

Until 1996 and the establishment of Associate of Science degrees, OSU ATI only offered Associate of Applied Science degrees, designed to prepare the student to enter an agricultural trade immediately after graduation. This new degree allowed students at ATI to transition directly to CFAES in Columbus.

Students on a tractor at ATI, 1979

Today, OSU ATI continues to offer Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates to students looking to pursue an agriculturally-minded career.

Fun facts: in 1985, OSU ATI had the only program facility for bee teaching and applied research in the United States, and Ohio at the time had around 10,000 beekeepers, more than any other state. In this same vein, it also had the only program in the United States that granted degrees in beekeeping. In 1993, ATI sent more than 40 students down to Florida to aid victims of the recent Hurricane Andrew. Students earned 3 credit hours for the trip and while there, lodged in tents and dormitories provided by People Helping People.

Written by Hannah Nelson.