Source: THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRON & NATURAL RESOURCES submitted to NRP
MULTICULTURAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM AT UVM-THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0212790
Grant No.
2008-38413-18729
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2007-04749
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 15, 2008
Project End Date
Jan 14, 2013
Grant Year
2008
Program Code
[KF]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRON & NATURAL RESOURCES
81 CARRIGAN DR.
BURLINGTON,VT 05405
Performing Department
OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROGRAMS
Non Technical Summary
The natural resources and environmental disciplines and professions are conspicuously underrepresented by people of color. The purpose of the Multicultural Scholars program is to increase the number of academically strong multicultural students in natural resources and environmental majors, which in turn, will increase the number of natural resource and environmental professionals in future years.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360993020100%
Goals / Objectives
The Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources (RSENR) at the University of Vermont (UVM) is committed to cultural diversity in the natural resources. The potential to enroll more multicultural students exists, but high tuition at UVM, coupled with reduced financial aid nationally have made enrollment of high-achieving multicultural students challenging. We seek to enroll 5 new first-time, first year Bachelor of Science degree students as Multicultural Scholars at UVM. Five students would represent at least a small critical mass of multicultural students that would reduce the isolation and encourage collegial relationships among the Scholars and between the Scholars and other students in our program. The primary target groups for recruitment and selection of Scholars will be African, Latino, Asian, and Native-American (ALANA) and/or first-generation high school students, because these populations are underrepresented in RSENR. We are targeting six disciplines/majors within RSENR for recruitment and enrollment of Multicultural Scholars. These are Forestry (FOR), Wildlife & Fisheries Biology (WFB), Recreation Management (RM), Environmental Sciences (ENSC), Natural Resources (NR), and Environmental Studies (ENVS). Students will complete their major courses as well as the Core Curriculum which consists of core competencies determined by the faculty to be critical to an environmental and natural resources education. Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will choose careers or pursue graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. By establishing partnerships with governmental agencies, for-profits, and non-profits, we will be able to pipeline our graduates to help diversify the environmental and natural resources fields. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle all over again.
Project Methods
Recruitment-The Rubenstein School's recruitment strategy will emphasize three elements: 1) recruit high achieving students at UVM partner high school and pre-college programs; 2) utilize existing RSENR Multicultural Scholars and Alumni networks; and 3) recruit students with demonstrated interest in the environment. Retention-We will work closely with the ALANA Student Center in an attempt to both monitor student progress and insure student success. Scholars will be urged to enroll in the Summer Enrichment Scholarship Program the summer before they matriculate at UVM. Each Scholar will be assigned two academic advisors-one faculty member from RSENR with expertise in working with ALANA students and one from the ALANA Student Center with experience in helping multicultural students transition to UVM. We will encourage Scholars to pursue research at UVM through programs like the McNair Scholars program and also to study abroad for at least a semester. Core Competencies-In addition to Scholars' declared major programs, the Scholars will be exposed to the School's Core Curriculum. The Core Curriculum provides an education that addresses the body of knowledge, skills, and values that the faculty believe to be central to the study of the environment and natural resources. The Core cuts across all academic programs within the School, integrating the natural and social sciences in an effort to approach full understanding and resolution of natural resource and environmental issues. Furthermore, the Core promotes an enhanced development of thinking, communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills. Pipelining-We will work closely with our RSENR Career Services Coordinator to ensure that our Scholars learn to conduct career exploration through internships, research, and other experiential opportunities like study abroad or community-based service-learning. Our Internship Program is designed to assist students in identifying securing, and successfully completing an internship that will help them gain experience in a work setting related to their field of study. The relevant experience is critical if they are to be competitive in today's job market. Students also learn the necessary tools to conduct a successful job search for obtaining permanent employment following graduation. Dissemination of outcomes-The success of the Scholars Program will be broadly disseminated in University of Vermont publications and through organizations like the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs. The PD will also disseminate information about the PD Multicultural Scholars Program and other diversity efforts through published articles in pertinent journals. Evaluation of program-After our Scholars have graduated with their B.S. degrees, we will conduct annual surveys with them to monitor their progress in their careers as well as whether or not they go on to graduate school.

Progress 01/15/08 to 01/14/13

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Five Scholars were funded on this project. In April 2012, fifteen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. The USDA Multicultural Scholars had social events to foster community and networking. Our SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) Chapter of the Ecological Society of America, was started in 2010, and several of our Scholars have been involved. One Scholar participated in a SEEDS weekend workshop in Adirondack Park, and another Scholar attended the ESA Annual Meeting. USDA Scholars on this grant have been active on campus in the Honors College and the Food Salvage Club, doing internships for organizations such as the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, attending the Metta Earth Leadership Training Program, and studying abroad through the School for Field Studies Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: Van Jones, Professor Carolyn Finney of UC Berkeley, and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her third term as a Vermont State Legislator. USDA Scholars and other Rubenstein School students also visited the touring "RACE: Are We So Different" exhibit at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant attended the 2nd Annual Green Jobs & Career Fair in November 2012, hosted by The Nature Conservancy. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2012. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant have been working closely with The Nature Conservancy to investigate establishing a recruitment and retention program for underrepresented students that would connect students to partner institutions, and then on to jobs in the environmental field. PARTICIPANTS: Two Scholars on this grant started in fall 2008. One is from South Berwick, Maine; she graduated Cum Laude in May 2012. The second is from Carolina, Puerto Rico; she is in good academic standing and should graduate in May 2013. Two transfer students were appointed as replacement Scholars on this grant. One started in fall 2010, and is from Harvard, Massachusetts; he is currently in good academic standing and should also graduate in May 2013. The other transfer student started at UVM in fall 2010, and transferred from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences into the Environmental Studies major in spring 2011and is from Burlington, Vermont. This Scholar's support on the grant was terminated due to low scholarship at the end of the Spring 2012 semester. The final Scholar on this grant was also appointed as a replacement Scholar, and started as first-time, first year student this Fall 2012. She is from Fulton, MD, and did extremely well academically this past semester. We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to continue to send Scholars to the ESA Annual Meeting to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School will continue to build on the success of the SEEDS chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for our students to network with scientists and identify research internships. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our primary target audience for this project is the students from underrepresented groups who are current Scholars on this grant. They are pursuing an education to become environmental professionals through traditional classroom instruction, labs and field experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities that may include: research, internships, jobs, service-learning courses, and study abroad. Our secondary target audience includes high school students we are recruiting to attend the University of Vermont. Many of the students we work with through the High School for Environmental Studies and the Nature Conservancy are multicultural students from underrepresented groups. Another target audience is high school students in the Burlington area. We are working with current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and are building on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
The immediate effect is that the five Scholars on this grant had funding that assisted them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont, and allowed them to complete their Bachelor's degrees. Long-term outcomes show that we have increasing levels of success in preparing Scholars on our grants for entry into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources. One recently graduated Scholar from this grant is an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, working on an urban gardening and environmental education project for at-risk youth. Another recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. Four have earned graduate degrees (one at UVM), four recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (UVM, Tufts University, SUNY ESF, Bard College), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one is a Program Officer for U.S. Climate and Environment at the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners will serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/15/11 to 01/14/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Five Scholars were funded on this project. In April 2011, fifteen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Jericho Research Forest to learn about current UVM research projects there. The USDA Multicultural Scholars and National Needs Fellows had two social events to foster community and networking. Co-PD's Marie Vea-Fagnant and Emilie Riddle began laying the groundwork for outreach projects to underrepresented students in the Burlington schools, working primarily with a tutoring and mentoring program called Shades of Ebony at Burlington High School. Our SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) Chapter of the Ecological Society of America, was started in 2010, and several of our Scholars have been involved. One Scholar participated in a SEEDS weekend workshop in Adirondack Park, and another Scholar attended the ESA Annual Meeting. USDA Scholars on this grant have been active on campus in the Honors College and the Food Salvage Club, doing internships for organizations such as the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, attending the Metta Earth Leadership Training Program, and studying abroad through the School for Field Studies Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: performance artists Climbing PoeTree, Deputy Director Mickey Fearn of the National Park Service, and former Scholar and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her second term as a Vermont State Legislator. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant attended the 1st Annual Green Jobs & Career Fair in Dec 2010, co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and the Ecological Society of America. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2011. PDs Mary Watzin, Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant have been working closely with The Nature Conservancy to investigate establishing a recruitment and retention program for underrepresented students. The Nature Conservancy has received a planning grant and is creating a proposal that would connect high school students to partner institutions, and then on to jobs in the environmental field. PARTICIPANTS: We have two Scholars who are in their senior year, and started in fall 2008. One is from South Berwick, Maine; the second is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Both Scholars are in good academic standing, showing acceptable to excellent academic performance, and are progressing towards their degrees. Two transfer students were appointed as Scholars on this grant. One started in fall 2010, and is from Harvard, Massachusetts, and is currently a junior in good academic standing. The other started at UVM in fall 2010, and transferred from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences into the Environmental Studies major in spring 2011and is from Burlington, Vermont. This Scholar is also a junior, and has been struggling academically, but has been utilizing the support system here at UVM; we expect that her performance will continue to improve. The final Scholar on this grant started as first-time, first year student this Fall 2011, and is from New York, New York. We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to continue to send Scholars to the ESA Annual Meeting to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School will continue to build on the success of the SEEDS chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for our students to network with scientists and identify research internships. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our primary target audience for this project is the students from underrepresented groups who are current Scholars on this grant. They are pursuing an education to become environmental professionals through traditional classroom instruction, labs and field experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities that may include: research, internships, jobs, service-learning courses, and study abroad. Our secondary target audience includes high school students we are recruiting to attend the University of Vermont. Many of the students we work with through the High School for Environmental Studies and the Nature Conservancy are multicultural students from underrepresented groups. Another target audience is high school students in the Burlington area. We are working with current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and are building on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
The immediate effect is that the five Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. One recently graduated Scholar is a GIS Specialist at Utility Risk Management Corporation. Another recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. We continue to demonstrate increasing levels of success in preparing our Scholars for entry into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: four have earned graduate degrees (1 at UVM), two recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (1 at UVM), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one is a Program Officer for U.S. Climate and Environment at the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/15/10 to 01/14/11

Outputs
We have two Scholars who are in their sophomore year, and started in fall 2008. One is from South Berwick, Maine; the second is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Both Scholars are in good academic standing, showing acceptable to excellent academic performance, and are progressing towards their degrees. Two new transfer students were appointed as Scholars on this grant; one started in fall 2010, and is from Harvard, Massachusetts; the other started at UVM in fall 2010, and transferred from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences into the Environmental Studies major in spring 2011and is from Burlington, Vermont. Both are in good academic standing in their junior year. We are currently looking to recruit a fifth Scholar for this grant. PRODUCTS: Four Scholars are currently being funded on this project. In April 2010, fifteen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. The USDA Multicultural Scholars and National Needs Fellows had two social events to foster community and networking. Co-PD's Marie Vea-Fagnant and Emilie Riddle began laying the groundwork for outreach projects to underrepresented students in the Burlington schools, working primarily with a tutoring and mentoring program called Shades of Ebony at Burlington High School. A SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) Chapter of the Ecological Society of America was started in the Rubenstein School, and several of our Scholars have been involved. One Scholar participated in a SEEDS weekend workshop in Adirondack Park, and another Scholar attended the ESA Annual Meeting. USDA Scholars have been active on campus in Residential Life, working as Eco-Reps in the dorms, and doing internships for organizations such as Clean Air-Cool Planet. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: Charlee Glenn, Diversity Programs Assistant for Ecological Society of America, Deputy Director Mickey Fearn of the National Park Service, and former Scholar and alumnus Kesha Ram, currently serving her second term as a Vermont State Legislator. OUTCOMES: The immediate effect is that the four Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. One recently graduated Scholar, who had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has gone on to a full-time position at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge as a Visitor Services Specialist. Another recently graduated Scholar participated in a Research internship through the USDA Forest Service and another through the Vermont River Conservancy. He has been doing outdoor ecology education with children in the Washington, D.C. area, and continuing work with the Vermont Land Trust. We continue to demonstrate increasing levels of success in pipelining Scholars into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: three recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (2 at UVM), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one has been consulting for the Baltimore Parks and People Foundation and is considering graduate school. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: PDs Mary Watzin, Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant conducted a conference call with Nature Conservancy in March to discuss partnership building with TNC. PDs Mary Watzin, Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant followed up with a visit to our partnership school, High School for Environmental Studies in May 2010. PDs Emilie Riddle & Marie Vea-Fagnant attended the 1st Annual Green Jobs & Career Fair in Dec 2010, co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and the Ecological Society of America. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and other Rubenstein School faculty met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2011. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to continue to send Scholars to the ESA Annual Meeting to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School will continue to build on the success of the SEEDS chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for our students to network with scientists and identify research internships. We will be working with all current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and build on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program.

Impacts
Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/15/09 to 01/14/10

Outputs
We have three Scholars who are in their sophomore year, and started in fall 2008. One is from South Berwick, Maine; the second is from Waterbury, Connecticut; the third is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. All three Scholars are in good academic standing, showing acceptable to excellent academic performance, and are progressing towards their degrees. A fourth Scholar on this grant is currently taking a year leave of absence; we expect his return in fall 2010. We are in the process of recruiting a fifth Scholar to fill the spot left by a student who changed her major to another unit at UVM. PRODUCTS: Three Scholars are currently being funded on this project. In April 2009, ten juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. We sent two of our multicultural students to the 2009 Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, including 1 USDA Scholar. One Scholar attended the Powershift 2009 youth environmental action summit in Washington, D.C. Another Scholar is an active member of the Vermont Oxfam Action Corps, an environmental and social justice activism group. Special Rubenstein School Diversity Task Force events were sponsored to promote diversity and foster a positive climate for our students of color. The USDA Multicultural Scholars and National Needs Fellows had two social events to foster community and networking. Co-PD's Marie Vea-Fagnant and Emilie Riddle began laying the groundwork for outreach projects to underrepresented students in the Burlington schools, working primarily with a tutoring and mentoring program called Shades of Ebony at Burlington High School. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by: journalist Paul Roberts speaking on The Future of Food in a Peak Oil World; Marcelo Bonta, the founder of Environmental Professionals of Color and the Center for Diversity and the Environment; Paul Mohai, Professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan and leading Environmental Justice scholar; and former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin on How to Create Environmental Change. OUTCOMES: The immediate effect is that the three Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. One current Scholar has had two successive summer internships with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has strong job prospects with them after graduation. She continues to do research through EBioMe, the Environmental Biology Mentoring program. Another current Scholar has participated in a Research internship through the USDA Forest Service. A current Scholar on this grant is participating in wetlands research and graduate school preparation through the McNair Scholars Program. We continue to demonstrate increasing levels of success in pipelining Scholars into graduate schools and careers in the field of environment and natural resources: three recently graduated Scholars are enrolled in graduate school (2 at UVM), one is a Vermont State Representative, and one has been consulting for the Baltimore Parks and People Foundation and is considering graduate school. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: In October 2009, PD Deane Wang and Co-PD Emilie Riddle attended the USDA MSP/NNF Project Directors and Beneficiaries meeting in Washington, D.C. One USDA Scholar and one National Needs Fellow also attended. Dr. Wang and the NNF Fellow both presented at the meeting. We continue to develop our webpage to present information about the USDA Multicultural Scholars Program at The Rubenstein School. A new diversity page was released in December along with a new version of our School's website. Co-PD Emilie Riddle and Dr. Wang met with underrepresented students attending the Discovering UVM campus visit program to discuss academic and career options in the field of environment and natural resources. Welcome letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or admitted students to The Rubenstein School for fall 2010. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We plan to again send a group of Scholars and other multicultural students to the annual MANRRS conference in March 2010 in Orlando, Florida to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities. In addition, the Rubenstein School has taken the lead in establishing a Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) chapter at the University of Vermont. We will be developing programming associated with this effort. This is a Program of the Ecological Society of America (http://www.esa.org/seeds/) and should be an important opportunity for out students to network with scientists and identify research internships. We will be working with all current Scholars to do outreach on environment and natural resources issues to students from underrepresented groups at Burlington High School, and build on the budding partnership with the Shades of Ebony tutoring and mentoring program.

Impacts
Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/15/08 to 01/14/09

Outputs
We have five Scholars who started this semester in fall 2008. One is from South Berwick, Maine; the second is from Bedford, Massachusetts; the third is from East Brunswick, NJ; the fourth is from Waterbury, Connecticut; the fifth is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. All five Scholars have done well this semester, and are in good academic standing. PRODUCTS: Five Scholars are currently being funded on this project. In spring 2008, four students from The Rubenstein School (including one USDA Scholar) and two faculty/staff members visited the High School for Environmental Studies to strengthen our partnership. They did a full-day workshop with the students on planning a rooftop garden for the school to attract migratory birds. Seventeen juniors and sophomores from the High School for Environmental Studies who are interested in the environment visited the UVM campus in April 2008. Students made connections with current Scholars, faculty and staff at UVM, and learned about the campus and admissions at UVM. They also paid a visit to Shelburne Farms to learn about current UVM research projects there. In May 2008, co-PD's Maria Erb, Emilie Riddle, and Marie Vea-Fagnant visited Boston to explore new partnership possibilities. They attended a student organized Environmental Justice presentation at New Mission High School, and met with staff at the Urban Ecology Institute (UEI). As a result of this trip, Ms. Riddle and Ms. Vea-Fagnant returned to Boston in July with a representative from the UVM Admissions Office to give a presentation on environmental careers to high school students and meet with high school guidance counselors attending the UEI Summer Institute. We sent six of our multicultural students (B.S.,M.S., and Ph.D.) to the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado in 2008, including 2 USDA Scholars. Special Rubenstein School Diversity Task Force events were sponsored to promote diversity and foster a positive climate for our students of color. Guest speakers were brought to campus to talk about diversity and environmental justice issues. This year included special visits by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Prime Minister of Norway, and former Director-General of the World Health Organization and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma. Letters were sent to all students of color who were either prospects or applicants to The Rubenstein School for fall 2009. OUTCOMES: The immediate effect is that the four Scholars have funding that assists them in covering expenses associated with being a student at the University of Vermont. As a result of two co-PD's attending the MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and related Sciences) Annual Conference in March 2007, The Rubenstein School, in conjunction with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences, has established a MANRRS Chapter at the University of Vermont. The Chapter has met regularly this year to network and to plan and execute service activities in the community. Demonstrating some success in our efforts to pipeline students into graduate school, this year brought the acceptance of two recently graduated Scholars into Ph.D. and M.S. programs at UVM. We also have a Scholar who graduated in May who ran a very successful campaign and was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in November. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Our University of Vermont Communications Office worked with the New York Times to write an article about our diversity efforts in The Rubenstein School and our outreach to our partnership high school, the High School for Environmental Studies. The article, covering the UVM students' visit in spring 2008 to plan a rooftop bird garden, was printed in the New York Times and online on June 17, 2008. The Communications Office also wrote and distributed an article about the research work of a UVM-affiliated US Forest Service Researcher, Dr. Paul Schaberg, on the possible affect of climate change on fall leaf coloration. The USDA Multicultural Scholars Program, and one of our Scholars who is the intern for this research, were highlighted in the article. One of our recently graduated USDA Scholars who is starting a Ph.D. program was invited to serve as a mentor and role model at the National Hispanic Environmental Council Annual NYC Environmental Youth Institute in June 2008. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will continue to monitor the Scholars' progress and assist them in counseling and appropriate resources to help them be a success. We will continue to work with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences to build a diverse and active membership in our newly established UVM Chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences. One challenge we have found in building membership in our MANRRS chapter is that because we have so few students of color at UVM, many of them are pulled in several directions with academics, leadership and extra-curricular activities, and working part-time to earn money. We will continue to work to demonstrate to our students the potential that MANRRS has to play a significant role in their professional and career development. We plan to again send a group of Scholars and other multicultural students to the annual conference in March 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana to network and open up possibilities for graduate programs and future employment opportunities.

Impacts
Ultimately, it is our hope that our Scholars will continue their education with graduate degrees in the environmental, food, or agricultural sciences. These future professors, researchers and environmental practitioners would serve as role models to encourage more multicultural students to pursue degrees in these fields, starting the cycle over again.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period