Page 20 - Strategic Plan

STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
• TREC’s location provides distinctive advantages:
– As part of the Caribbean and Latin American regions (geographically, demographically, culturally), TREC’s location in south Florida provides substantive UF/ IFAS impacts well beyond the U.S. mainland.
– Based in a major production area for tropical fruit, tropical/winter vegetables, and tropical ornamental plants, TREC has land access.
– TREC has proximity to different ecosystems and major biological diverse natural areas (Everglades, Big Cypress, Biscayne National Parks).
• TREC has vast knowledge base on tropical and subtropical agriculture developed over 90 years.
• TREC’s collaborative support from private and public research and education institutions throughout Florida, United States, and world.
• Being part of a land-grant university and IFAS, TREC has diversified disciplines and backgrounds.
• TREC has a long history of nationally and internationally recognized quality research.
• New faculty has significantly increased TREC’s research, extension and teaching capacity.
• Insufficient support personnel (field, lab, office) to complement faculty.
• Research and support infrastructure needs to be upgraded and expanded.
• Insufficient graduate student housing and lack of family housing for visiting scientists.
• Lack marketing plan to raise visibility of TREC research/ extension/teaching programs.
• Bureaucratic procedures and requirements impede efficiency (volume of paperwork, etc.).
• Lack proactive strategy for graduate student recruitment and insufficient online courses.
• Low local support for IP commercialization.
• Ineffective system for managing compliance rules and regulations.
• Lack space for social and recreational activities.
• Major program gaps: ornamental horticulturist for local industry; vegetable/ornamental horticulturist (extension/research); and mechanical engineer.
• Inadequate funding base and sustained funding.
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
• Capitalize on a range of new scientific and technological advances.
• New and innovative models of training students.
• Opportunities to learn pioneering research and agricultural practices in tropical agriculture from other institutions.
• Collaboration with other universities and national
and international centers to build recognition in new program areas (e.g., plant breeding/genetics, agro- ecology, molecular plant physiology, areas of IPM, etc.), and mobilize more funding.
• More proactively compete for Federal and non- Federal grants.
• Greater involvement in interdisciplinary research.
• Increasing demand for science and technology-based solutions to challenges and issues.
• Increase research in sea level rise, climate change, and water management and quality: critical, interrelated issues in Florida’s economic future.
• Develop new commercial high value crops such as industrial hemp, vanilla, other tropical specialty fruits and vegetables.
• More frequent or intense natural disaster events.
• Expanding urbanization and loss/degradation of natural areas and farmland
• High competition from imports and negative trade impacts on Florida’s agriculture.
• Invasive species that threaten Florida’s agriculture and environment.
• Distrust and under-appreciation of science.
• Increased competition for and reduction in the availability of public/grant funds, and the need to develop sustainable funding streams for TREC.
• Continuous increasing cost of TREC’s operations.
• Uncertainty in funding to attract high quality graduate students.
• Increasing housing costs for TREC faculty and staff.
• High labor costs that impact growers’ profitability.
• Poor water management system in south Florida.
• High international competition for quality faculty and talent in agriculture research and innovation.
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