Agriculture and Veterinary Technology

Alfred State lecturer Morgan McLean (Agriculture & Veterinary Technology Department) was honored with the Student Advocate Award during the 41st annual Honors Convocation. Student Senate President Unique Isom presented the award that is given to college employees that have gone above and beyond to help students be successful.

Students credit McLean for being enthusiastic and loving what she teaches. She listens to students and finds out what they are interested in and works to add new classes and plan tours to visit places to add to their educational experiences.

Twenty high school students participating in the New York State Animal and Agricultural Leadership (AAL) Program visited Alfred State recently. The students also visited Alfred University and Lent Hill Dairy during their immersive, hands-on experience focused on preparing youth for future careers in agriculture and animal science.

A quartet of Alfred State students competed at the 23rd Annual National Dairy Challenge Contest hosted by the University of Florida on April 6-8, 2025. 

Thirty-three Alfred State students participated in the 2025 Showmanship Day held at the college farm. The contest featured dairy, beef, sheep, and goat competitions.

Most of the students that participated are part of the Small Ruminant Management or the Dairy Cattle Production One classes. Charles Susick II, ’18, and Christian Lewis judged the contests. 

Showmanship Show Photos

Rebecca Randall (Prattsburgh, NY) has always dreamed of working with animals. That passion led her to Alfred State’s veterinary technology program, which she chose for its hands-on approach and the renowned quality of education. 

Rebecca's Pioneer PROfile video

“I’ve always wanted to work with animals,” Rebecca shares. “Alfred State stood out to me because it has the third-best veterinary technology program in the country, and not many places close to home can say that.”

Meghan Morse credits her education for setting her up for success in the field of veterinary diagnostics. Today, Meghan works as a diagnostic ultrasound technician for SonoPath New Jersey Mobile Veterinary Ultrasound, a position that allows her to combine her passion for animals with continuous learning. 

Meghan Morse Pioneer PROfile

Meghan chose Alfred State because of how ranked the Vet Tech program was. “It looked like a very good program that was going to set me up for success in the field.”  

Katelyn Merle (Rochester, NY) loves animals and wants to work with family farms. She found the right education mix with her Agricultural Business studies at Alfred State.

Katelyn's Pioneer PROfiles video

“I chose to come to Alfred State because my dad went here, so it was always in the back of my mind, and I liked how hands-on everything seemed.”

Veterinary Technology major Jordan Henry (Little Valley, NY) has gone above and beyond for the dogs at the Vet Tech center this semester. She has been pivotal in creating new mental and physical enrichment tools for the shelter dogs. 

Earlier this semester, Julie Abbey, Instructional Support Associate for the Agriculture and Veterinary Technology Department, tasked students to produce one enrichment idea for each student’s assigned week of kennel supervision. 

Two groups of Alfred State agriculture students represented the college in competitions recently. A group of six students traveled to Plattsburgh to compete in the Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge while a group of four traveled to Kingston, RI for the Northeast Regional Soil Judging Contest. 

Over a thousand students experienced the diversity of academic programs offered at Alfred State during the Veterinary, Agricultural, Sciences, and Technology (VAST) career discovery event. The event was organized by the college’s Agriculture and Veterinary department and was hosted on the college farm.