Source: CAL POLY CORPORATION submitted to
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (CAFES) MULTICULTURAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1029115
Grant No.
2022-38413-38359
Cumulative Award Amt.
$196,733.00
Proposal No.
2022-03828
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2022
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2027
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[KF]- Multicultural Scholars
Project Director
DeLay, A.
Recipient Organization
CAL POLY CORPORATION
(N/A)
SAN LUIS OBISPO,CA 93407
Performing Department
CAFES Dean`s Office
Non Technical Summary
This grant would provide scholarships to multicultural scholars to engage, support, and mentor students in completing their baccalaureate degrees in Agricultural Science, Agricultural Communications, Food Science, and Wine and Viticulture at California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obsipo (Cal Poly - SLO). While Cal Poly reported 46.3% non-white students, the student body is not yet representative of the state of California. Our equity gaps also remain, with "URM" (Cal State official language for Under-Represented Minorities) students anywhere from 5 % to 20% behind white students in terms of graduation rates. From prior research at Cal Poly and nationwide, students who are finanicially and academically supported have higher graduation rates than students who receive no support. Cal Poly has a number of programs to support URM students, Pell Grant recipients, and First Generation students, but there is still unmet need. Here, we propose a two year mentorship program where two students will work closely with one faculty member over. We believe that the low student to faculty ratio will enable a strong foundation for URM students to be successful. We also propose to train faculty using best practices in mentorship. As leadership is particularly important in agriculture, the students in this mentorship program will also take two leadership courses currently offered in our college and taught by one of the faculty mentors. Lastly, one faculty member will oversee extra-curricular programming for all students involved in mentorship.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360503020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6050 - Communities, areas, and regions;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
We propose a two year mentorship program where two students will work closely with one faculty member over. We believe that the low student to faculty ratio will enable a strong foundation for URM students to be successful. We also propose to train faculty using best practices in mentorship. As leadership is particularly important in agriculture, the students in this mentorship program will also take two leadership courses currently offered in our college and taught by one of the faculty mentors. Lastly, one faculty member will oversee extra-curricular programming for all students involved in mentorship. Specific goals are listed below.1.Increase URM awareness and utilization of college and campus personal, cultural, academic, and career supports.2.Increase URM awareness of leadership opportunities3.Increase URM perceived leadership capacity4.Increase URM acceptance of leadership roles5.Increase URM awareness of careers in the food and agriculture sectors and their interest in pursuing a career in food and agriculture6.Increase URM graduate school self-efficacy7.Increase URM retention rate in disciplines relative to the food and agriculture sectors
Project Methods
The Cal Poly CAFES MSP curriculum is designed to develop leadership skills, improve technical competencies, and encourage graduate education through cohort enrollment in an introduction to agricultural leadership course (2 units), and a California food and agriculture issues course (4 units). These courses have been selected specifically because they are designed to help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills relevant to the issues that face the worldwide agriculture industry and facilitate interest in pursuing positions of leadership in agriculture.The Introduction to Agricultural Leadership (AG 254) is a two-unit course that serves as an entry point to the CAFES Agricultural Leadership Minor where scholars will be oriented to leadership development in agriculture and related settings. Principles and techniques for developing leadership skills including exploration of personal characteristics, technical skills, interpersonal influence, commitment, goals, and power necessary for effective leadership in the food and agricultural workforce. Scholars will gain a baseline understanding of their own leadership capability through self-assessment via a variety of leadership instruments and discuss ways to apply these capabilities to careers in food and agriculture.The second formal component of the leadership skills development curricula will be the enrollment in Issues Affecting California Agriculture (AG 452). This four-unit course is delivered via interactive seminars with leaders from government and industry covering policy and regulations affecting California food and agriculture. Scholars will develop an understanding of food and agriculture policy and work in teams to develop a public presentation and position paper on a significant issue facing food and agriculture. An experiential component of this course is a culminating field experience meeting with legislators and policy influencers in the state capital of Sacramento where Scholars will be able to practice their leadership skills developed through interactions with decision makers involved in food and agriculture in California.Opportunities. The initial engagement opportunity for a cohort will be the Spring MSP Welcome Symposium. The Welcome Symposium will serve to bring everyone together for the first time, begin building a shared sense of purpose through community building exercises. Programmatic goals will be reviewed along with the tentative 2-year schedule of events and expectations. The day will feature a guest speaker from the agriculture industry who is in a position of leadership and identifies as an underrepresented minority. Each quarter of the program, the CAFES MSP will host a Workshop Session focusing on various leadership models. Examples include the SALT model (Social Action, Leadership and Transformation), the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership and Leadership Identify Development Model. Workshops will include a social aspect and a recreational activity. Each summer, there will be an immersion day trip to an agricultural industry operation. The immersion trip will be focused on company operation and leadership, core values, and company culture. Each cohort will be in the program two summers, translating to two immersion trips per cohort.Mentoring. The CAFES MSP is designed to create a long-term (2 year) mentorship experience and build long-lasting community among participants, faculty, and students. Paired faculty mentors and student mentees will be required to meet once monthly during the academic year. Mentoring Action Plans (MAP) will be utilized in a workbook style fashion to give mentoring sessions a direction. This will include guided prompts, reflections, and exercises for facilitating career interest discussions. Additionally, CAFES MSP will utilize mentorship agreements to ensure mentors and mentees have clear expectations of each other and themselves. Mentorship meetings should also serve as a touchpoint opportunity for students to discuss academic challenges, explore career aspirations and review upcoming campus opportunities (research, alternative support, scholarships). While the CAFES MSP is not necessarily a research program, there are many ways for students to also participate in a research experience at Cal Poly, such as signing up for undergraduate research credit or through participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) supported by CAFES. Although undergraduate research is not a requirement of participating in the CAFES MSP, mentors will encourage this experience as it is a high impact educational practice (Kuh, 2008).Faculty Mentorship Training. The mentorship component of the CAFES MSP program has been designed to enhance the success not just of our student participants but also our faculty by cultivating excellence in communication and providing ongoing professional development and training for mentors. As such, prior to the MSP welcome symposium, faculty mentors will participate in a DEI and Mentorship Training Retreat. The retreat will have focus sessions including, 1) What is Effective Mentorship, 2) Engaging Student Diversity and Belonging, 3) Creating a Mentorship Action Plan. In the What is Effective Mentorship session faculty mentors will be asked to recall instances where role models were key in their success. Traits and actions that characterize meaningful mentorship will be discussed through various reflect and share activities. Self-assessment of personality traits and skills sets will be discussed as faculty mentors explore their leadership and mentorship styles. In the session on Engaging Student Diversity and Belonging, faculty mentors will learn about campus resources available to students as well as get an update from the CAFES College DEI committee on recent and ongoing efforts. As a part of this session, faculty will have a round table discussion on tools for acknowledging and responding to distressing events related to DEI and review Cal Poly's Center for Teaching and Learning Resources' guide on Building Community and Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment. The guide covers accessibility of information, learning about student backgrounds, preferred pronoun usage, tips for connecting with students and helpful resources across campus. In the final mentorship training session focused on Creating a Mentorship Action Plan, faculty mentors will be paired with students accepted into the CAFES MSP cohort, application packets reviewed and the action plan for the students started. Faculty will discuss the student's stated professional goals in the context of the MSP's upcoming student workshops and immersion trips to tailor those experiences to the individual students. In addition to this faculty mentor training retreat, quarterly faculty mentor meetings will take place. The purpose of these check-ins will be to address any questions or concerns that come up throughout the program, adjust programmatic needs if necessary and plan workshop and immersion trip coordination. There will also be a portion of continued mentorship and leadership development as a component of these check-ins.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The first cohort met weekly with their mentors based on individual goals. Some pairs worked on research projects, some connected on career development needs, others worked on skill development and feedback. Those students and mentors are listed below. 1. Danielle Palacpac (Animal Science - CIP #01.0903) matched with Dr. Erin Gorter 2. Annica Wu (Plant Science - CIP#: 01.1101) matched with Dr. Shunping Ding 3. Daniela Rodriguez-Ruiz (AgriculturalCommunication - CIP#: 01.0802) matched with Dr. Ann De Lay 4. Andrew Angulo (AgriculturalCommunication - CIP#: 01.0802) matched with Dr. Moses Mike 5. Carissa Sales (Nutrition - CIP#: 51.3102) matched with Dr. Anna Cahn The mentoring team conducted a recruitment of a second cohort of student participants.Five undergraduate students were selected to take part in the second cohort of the Multicultural Scholars Program. Each participant was assigned a faculty mentor. Those students, their majors, and their mentors are listed below. 1. Diego Ortega(Environmental Earth and Soil Science - CIP #: 03.0104 and 01.1299) was matched with Dr. Moses Mike 2. Brooklyn McGruder (Agricultural Communication - CIP #: 01.0802) was matched with Dr. Ann De Lay 3. Carly Leavitt-Hullana (Agricultural Science - CIP #:01.0000) was matched with Dr. Erin Gorter 4. Maya Tjian(Animal Science - CIP #: 01.0901) was matched with Dr. Nicole Ray. Dr. Ray will be replacing Dr. Ding onCohort 2, as Dr. Ding will be leaving on sabbatical. 5. Maya Perez (Nutrition - CIP #: 51.3102) was matched with Dr. Anna Cahn5. Carissa Sales (Nutrition - CIP #: 51.3102) was matched with Dr. Anna Cahn Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Cohort 1 - Year 1 Activities 1 welcome symposium Lunch and Connect during the preceeding spring quarter 2023. 1 summer immersion trip - Ag field tour with stops at King City Nursery (vegetable transplants), Taylor Farms (bagged salad processing), and Tanimura and Antle (iceberg lettuce harvest and AI weeder) during summer quarter 2023. 1 Lunch and Connect workshop (Crucial Conversations) during fall quarter 2023. Attendance at 1 Lunch and Connect panel discussion featuring first generation students of agriculture during winter quarter 2024. Attendance at a Lunch and Connect with the California Agricultural Leadership Program industry fellows during spring quarter 2024. Students completed both AG 452 - Issues Affecting California Agriculture in winter quarter 2024and AGC 254 - Introduction to Agricultural Leadership in spring quarter 2024 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Faculty mentors plan to discuss thefindings with student mentees at the firstLunch and Connect during fall quarter 2024, while also seeking feedback from cohort 1on what they would like to achieve intheir final year of the program. This feedback is critical in ensuring the faculty mentors are providing for individual and group needs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Cohort 2 - Year 1 Activities 1 welcome symposium -- spring 2024 1 summer immersion trip - Ag field tour (sites to be determined) -- summer 2024 1 Lunch and Connect fall workshop (Crucial Conversations) -- fall 2024 Attendance at Lunch and Connect panel discussion featuring first generation students of agriculture-- winter 2025 Attendance at a Lunch and Connect with the California Agricultural Leadership Program industry fellows -- spring 2025 Students will completeboth AG 452 - Issues Affecting California Agriculture in winter quarter 2025and AGC 254 - Introduction to Agricultural Leadership in spring quarter 2025 Cohort 1 - Year 2 Activities 1 summer immersion trip - Ag field tour (sites to be determined) 1 Lunch and Connectworkshop (leadership topic to be determined) -- fall 2024 Attendance at college career fair-- fall 2024 Lunch and Connect (leadership topic to be determined) -- winter 2025 Attendance at Aspire to Grow with faculty mentor -- winter 2025 Lunch and Connect (leadership topic to be determined) -- spring 2025 Program Commencement and presentation -- spring 2025

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Opportunities for training and professional development provided by the program are featured below. Based on their engagement in these activities, students completed a series of assessments. The findings from those assessmentsare featured below, in terms of association with program goals. Goal 1:Increase URM awareness and utilization of college and campus personal, cultural, academic, and career supports. Cohort 1 year one participants indicated their participation in the MSP program had much of an impact on their awareness of CAFES resources concerning personal (M= 4.60,SD= .55), career (M= 4.40,SD= .55), cultural (M= 4.20,SD= .84), and academic (M= 4.00,SD= .71) supports. University career resources (M= 4.40,SD= .55) were also impacted much by program participation. University academic (M= 3.60,SD= .89), personal (M= 3.50,SD= 1.30), and cultural (M= 3.40,SD= 1.14) supports were only somewhat impacted by the MSP program. Goal 2:Increase URM awareness of leadership opportunities-Participants indicated the MSP program had much of an impact on their awareness of leadership opportunities at the college (M= 4.80,SD= .45) and university levels (M= 4.60,SD= .55). Goal 3: Increase URM perceived leadership capacity.-Participants indicated their MSP participation had much of an impact on their capacity to lead (M= 4.60,SD= .55). Goal 4: Increase URM acceptance of leadership roles.-Participants indicated their MSP participation had much of an impact on their acceptance of leadership roles (M= 4.80,SD= .45). Goal 5: Increase URM awareness of careers in the food and agriculture sectors and their interest in pursuing a career in food and agriculture.-Participants indicated their participation in the MSP program impacted their food and agriculture career awareness and interest (M= 5.00,SD= .00) a great deal. Goal 6: Increase URM graduate school self-efficacy.-Participants indicated their participation in the MSP program impacted their beliefs in their own capability to pursue graduate education a much (M= 4.80,SD= .45). Goal 7 has yet to be determined. This will be reviewed in year 2 for each participant cohort.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The mentoring team conducted a recruitment of students. The recruitment began on 1/24/23 with a blanket email to all Cal Poly CAFES students, encouraging those who qualify to apply. An announcement was made on 2/14/23 to all department heads, encouraging them to specifically encourage those students who they felt could benefit most participating in the program.Applications were due on 3/1/23.The mentoring team met to discuss the application review process. A file of applications were made available to the mentoring team and everyone was asked to rank their top three most compelling candidates. The PI took that information and identified a list of candidates. These candidates were reviewed for eligibility (appropriate gpa, need, still on campus for 2 years, etc.). Those students selected to participate in cohort 1 were notified on 3/16/23 via email. Those students not selected to participate were notified by email as well and encouraged to reapply for the next cohort. Five undergraduate students were selected to take part in the first cohort of the Multicultural Scholars Program. Each participant was assigned a faculty mentor. Those students, their majors, and their mentors are listed below. 1. Andrew Angulo (Agricultural Communication - CIP #: 01.0802) was matched with Dr. Moses Mike 2. Daniela Rodriguez-Ruiz(Agricultural Communication - CIP #: 01.0802) was matched with Dr. Ann De Lay 3.Danielle Palacpac(Animal Science - CIP #: 01.0901) was matched with Dr. Erin Gorter 4. Annica Wu(Plant Science - CIP #: 01.1101) was matched with Dr. Shunping Ding 5.Carissa Sales(Nutrition - CIP #: 51.3102) was matched with Dr. Anna Cahn Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?On 9-13-23, the group attended the Industry Tour intended for new hires in the college. They explored King City Nursery, Taylor Farms, andTanimura and Antle.Students had the opportunity to discuss topics including: sustainable practices, technology and ai, labor issues and relations, marketing and branding, resilience, harvest and post harvest handling, food safety, and more.Three of the five students had never experienced agricultural production or processing, nor had they explored the realities of these sectors. On 10-19-23, the group met for the first Lunch and Connect. The topic for the session involved a "Engaging in Difficult Conversations" workshop. Students practiced tips for how to navigate hard conversations they may need to have with others. This could include differences of opinion, hurt feelings, unprofessional behavior, asking for opportunities, and more. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Thus far, the program has been shared broadly with the college through the recruitment process (January through March 2023). Additionally, photos of the students on the Industry tour were shared via social media. Students met to take group and headshots in October 2023. These will be used to produce more communication, including space on the College's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage, and press releases to the students' home publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Students will be enrolling in AG 452 - Issues in Agriculture. This will help them to not only explore the agricultural industry through a variety of high-caliber industry leaders, they will explore grand challenges faced by those leaders. They will also travel to the state capitol to meet with legislators concerning these issues, to communicate the complexities involved. This will really get them working actively to accomplishgoals 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? 1.Increase URM awareness and utilization of college and campus personal, cultural, academic, and career supports. Students were introduced to over thirty faculty and staff during the summer industry tour. This includes people working in the college's academic advising center, department heads for each of their majors, research center directors and technicians, and various faculty from across the college. They were encouraged to meet different college employees, and the college's employees were encouraged to meet and talk with them as well. 2.Increase URM awareness of leadership opportunities Students have been receiving regular updates to the Canvas Site, as well as through email, concerning opportunities to undertake leadership roles.All participants were encouraged to apply forthe BEACoN research program, providing research experiences for URM students. 3.Increase URM perceived leadership capacity Has not been measured. The cohort (mentors and mentees) met on 6/8/23 for the MSP Kick-off. There, mentors prepared an agenda that began with lunch and an icebreaker. They led an activity that grouped mentors and mentees separately, inviting them to express expectations for their time together. A calendar of benchmark activities was provided and they were told their attendance was required. Students were also invited to share their specific input on the year's activities. Students met on 10/19/23 for their Lunch and Connect. The topic was "Engaging in Difficult Conversations."Students will also be enrolling in an Ag Issues course inWinter Quarter 2024. 4.Increase URM acceptance of leadership roles Danielle Rodriguez-Ruiz will be working to co-facilitate the college's26 Hours of Science and Technology in Agriculture program. This program connects college opportunities withunderserved high school populations. Andrew Angulo was elected to a national officer position for the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow organization. 5.Increase URM awareness of careers in the food and agriculture sectors and their interest in pursuing a career in food and agriculture All five student participants attended the college's industry tour this summer. They explored King City Nursery, Taylor Farms, and Tanimura and Antle. Students had the opportunity to discuss topics including: sustainable practices, technology and ai, labor issues and relations, marketing and branding, resilience, harvest and post harvest handling, food safety, and more.Three of the five students had never experienced agricultural production or processing, nor had they explored the realities of these sectors. 6.Increase URM graduate school self-efficacy Not addressed. 7.Increase URM retention rate in disciplines relative to the food and agriculture sectors Too soon to tell.

    Publications