Progress 08/01/23 to 07/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:During this grant period we have focused on three specific target audiences: agricultural industry, current students, and potential students. To reach members of the agricultural industry we have attended a variety of meetings in the community, including Sevier County Cattlemen's monthly meetings, school board meetings, and community events. During this time we collected information using our industry survey about the needs of our farmers, ranchers, and other agri professionals - specifically what types of educational programs would prepare young people to be employed in local agricultural jobs. We have also added members to our current advisory board. The new members represent farmers and ranchers in our area. The advisory board has played a key role in the development of new programs and curriculum to meet the needs of our region. Members represent industries of forestry, natural resources, animal science, GIS, and other facets of agriculture. We have also made efforts to be present at a number of community events including fairs, livestock shows, and equestrian events to meet with and share information with people directly involved in agriculture. Our currentand alumni students have also played a vital role in the development of new program ideas. We surveyed current and former students to identify potential areas for improvement in the agri program and guage interest in new programs. These students have also benefitted from attending a number of events and conferences during the duration of this grant. We took a group of students to an FFA Alumni Regional Development conference over the summer to network and get new ideas about leveraging our Alumni FFA chapter for recruitment and outreach. Students have attended a number of regional activities as part of our outreach initiative including: college recruitment fairs, livestock shows, rodeos, equestrian events, and more. Our presence at these events has made a significant impact on the perception of our agri program and helped with recruiting to our program. Potential students have been targeted through a school survey that was sent out to our local feeder schools. Students were asked about their general interest in agriculture as a career, and then specific areas of agriculture. We used the results of this survey, as well as the other surveys, to develop new program ideas and write the implementation grant. We have reached out to potential students through recruitment events put on by our local educational co-op, meeting with students at schools, attending a number of community events, sharing information on social media, and other outreach activities. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant has create numerous opportunities for training and professional development. As the PI on this grant, I have taken a number of courses related to animal science and veterinary technician education. I have certified to perform PEMF and medical laser therapy on animals. I am also Fear Free Certified working with animals. I have taken a number of classes to prepare for teaching additional animal science courses and developing a veterinary technician program. We have also attended professional development events at the conferences we have attended. We have received information about how to improve diversity and equity within our program, and how to navigate complex politicalclimates surrounding these topics. We have also obtained information about development and growth of our program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Survey results have been shared across our institution, with our advisory board, and publicly at the Sevier County Cattlemen's meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue with outreach efforts, including attending a USDA conference in November. There are a number of local events where we will represent our college and provide information to the public about the grant and the many opportunities in agriculture at our college. Course and curriculum development will continue to prepare for launching the new programs in Fall of 2025.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal #1) We have identified new course and certification offerings through our surveys. The feedback from industry and students identified TWO programs that we have a vital need for within our region. This has led to the development of an Industrial Ag degree that will focus on the science of agriculture partnered with the technical skills of farm management. A degree plan has been created and we are in the intial stages of getting this approved through our internal chanels. The second degree identified was a Veterinary Technician degree. There is only one vet tech school in the state of Arkansas, so by opening a second school, we would essentially double the workforce. There is a severe shortage of certified vet techs across the nation. This would fill a signficant industry need. There are multiple certifications built into both degrees and we continue to look for ways to add more credntialing to these and existing programs. Goal #2) We have used current resources, such as our Center for Student Success, to identify barriers and find ways to increase Hispanic student enrollment. We lean heavily on the resources provided by the community and our local schools. As the first HSI in the state of Arkansas, we have demonstrated that increasing Hispanic enrollment and reaching out to minority communities is a priority for our college. Goal #3) Several industries partners have been brought in as part of this grant that plan to offer experiential learning opportunities. Local farmers and ranchers have offered field trips and tours of their faciltities, as well as internship positions. Some of the local farmers include Al Wright, Chuck Hicks, and Carl Hunter. The are all diversified ag producers that run cow/calf operations as well as cut hay. We also work closely with our local NRCS office, Arkansas Game and Fish, Pilgrims, and Arkansas Division of Forestry. These organizations all assist with field trips and hosting various acitivties on campus. Goal #4) We have identified several industry crednetials that can be built into our various courses. Some of these credentials include: PEMF certifiation for animal science, ArcGIS certifcations, and NCCER certifications. As courses continue through the development stage, we will be implementing these certifications into our courses so that students receive industry recoginized certifates and technical certificates/degrees from our college. Our main goal to apply for the full implementation grant this falland we submitted that proposal.

Publications