Matt Grieshop, a professor of organic pest management, said escalating costs of energy and nutrients will make sustainable agriculture a necessity.

“We’re going to have to do things more efficiently and think about agriculture in a different way,” Grieshop said.

Sieglinde Snapp, a professor of crop and soil sciences, said the specialization could put MSU on the cutting edge of combining biology, social sciences and a whole new area of study.

The specialization, expected to be available by fall 2009, also will help organize student interaction and create a core peer group of students, Snapp said.

Lindsey Hall, a horticulture junior, is a member of the Ecological Food and Farm Stewardship, a student organization affiliated with the MSU Student Organic Farm.

She said giving students the opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture in the classroom setting is important because it isn’t clear right now how the world will be able to produce food in the future.

“It doesn’t make sense to be at the (Harvard University) of agriculture and not be above with the rest of the world when it comes to sustainability,” Hall said.

The department is seeking a sustainable agriculture specialist for a three-year position to coordinate faculty efforts, Snapp said.

With more than 10 business startups credited to his name, Blake Ashdown is looking to equip students with the skills necessary to become entrepreneurs.

Ashdown, a professor of business practice for the Eli Broad College of Business, teaches courses in entrepreneurship for the college’s new specialization. No students have been formally admitted into the program yet.

More than 70 percent of new businesses fail and more than 60 percent of business students see themselves owning their own business sometime in the future, Ashdown said.

“The specialization allows students to bring together components in an academic setting to show them how to take an idea or product into the marketplace and have a high likelihood of success,” he said.

Dwight Handspike, assistant director of undergraduate academic services for the college, said most courses in entrepreneurship were limited to the master’s of business administration program.

“This is a good opportunity to fill a void for students looking to build and grow in this area,” he said.

Students must complete 12 credits from a selected field of courses including marketing, accounting and management while maintaining a 2.0 grade-point average.

Handspike said the curriculum is designed to give students the tools to pursue owning their own business after graduation.

“I think it gives them a good opportunity, having met people working in the area — it gives them a clear indication of what it takes to be successful,” he said.