Outlying of Agriculture and Natural Resources Higher Education Institutions from Central Campuses: Challenges and Strategies

Many agricultural and natural resources higher education institutions, because of the need to farmlands, greenhouses and laboratories are located outside the cities, away from the confines of their main centers (academic affiliated educational centers). This trend, despite having some of the above benefits, has been caused dissatisfaction and consequently decrease the interest and desire of the faculty members, staff and some students for choice to work and study in such centers. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to analyze strategies towards distant place of agriculture and natural resources higher education institutions from the academic affiliated educational centers. This applied descriptive research in terms of research methodology paradigm is a qualitative inquiry, was conducted using a classic Delphi technique. The research sample whose were chosen by purposive sampling method are faculty members and Ph.D. students with agriculture and natural resources majors that somehow are involved with outlying from their main academic centers. In this way, the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were known as perceived by respondents and at the end all four rates averages were calculated with SWOT analysis matrix. The resultant SWOT matrix analysis is located in the area of WT (defensive strategy). Accordingly, it is better stop building and establish colleges of agriculture and natural resources in the outside the main campus and is necessary measures be used to overcome the weaknesses and threats for those which are away from the main universities and academic centers. At the end, suggested strategies have been presented.