GLOBAL AGRICULTURE LEADERSHIP INCUBATOR PROJECT (GALIP)

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: SERD GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0214183
• Grant No.: 2008-51160-04360
• Proposal No.: 2008-01599
• Project Start Date: Aug 1, 2008
• Project End Date: Jun 30, 2011
• Grant Year: 2008
• Program Code: [AA-N]- International Science & Education/Comp. Pro.

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF TENNESSEE
(N/A)
MARTIN,TN 38237

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
GALIP will pilot a model for internationalizing the curriculum, which will improve the ability of rural students to compete more effectively in the global world of agriculture. This proposal addresses the area of strengthening the global competence of students, faculty, and staff in agriculture.

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
903	6099	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

international

agribusiness

agriculture

mexico

education

teaching

post-secondary

Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: To internationalize the curriculum, GALIP will bring existing resources at UT Martin to implement an International Agriculture Certificate Program for students. Objective 1.1: By F 08, 5 students (Cohort I) will be selected to participate in GALIP project. Objective 1.2: By SP 09, Cohort I GALIP students, 2 UT Martin faculty, and 2 area agribusiness leaders will have successfully completed Spanish for Agribusiness at UT Martin. Objective 1.3: During SU 09, Cohort I GALIP students, 1 faculty member, and project evaluator will have completed a 4-week immersive experience at the University of Guanajuato, Mexico (UG). Objective 1.4: By Fall 09, a new International Agricultural Marketing course will be introduced to complement existing international focused agriculture courses. Objective 1.5: By F 09, Cohort I GALIP students will have successfully completed advanced Spanish at UT Martin or demonstrated equivalent proficiency as per UG requirements. Objective 1.6: During Fall 2009, Cohort I GALIP students, two faculty members, and 2 West Tennessee agribusiness leaders will spend one week in Saltillo, Mexico to present the results of their international case study to Mexican agribusiness leaders and AN faculty. Objective 1.7: By F 09, 5 additional students (Cohort II) will be selected to participate in GALIP. Objective 1.8: By SP 10, Cohort II GALIP students, 2 UT Martin faculty, and 2 area agribusiness leaders will have successfully completed Spanish for Agribusiness at UT Martin. Objective 1.9: By SP 10, all Cohort I GALIP participants will have delivered a minimum of 2presentations on international agribusiness to area high school Future Farmer of America organizations, civic organizations, and Farm Bureau, etc. Objective 1.10: By SP 10, Cohort I GALIP participants will have completed the International Agriculture Certificate Program. Objective 1.11: During SU 10, Cohort II GALIP students and 2 faculty members will have completed a four-week immersive, intensive experience at UG. Objective 1.12: By F 10, Cohort II GALIP students will have successfully completed advanced Spanish at UT Martin or demonstrated equivalent proficiency as per UG requirements. Objective 1.13: During Fall 10, Cohort II GALIP students, 2 faculty, and 2 West TN agribusiness leaders will spend one week in Saltillo, Mexico to present the results of their international case study to Mexican agribusiness leaders and AN University faculty. Objective 1.14: By SP 11, all Cohort II GALIP participants will have delivered a minimum of 2 presentations on international agribusiness to area high school Future Farmer of America organizations, civic organizations, and Farm Bureau, etc. Objective 1.15: By SP 11, Cohort II GALIP participants will have completed the International Agriculture Certificate Program. Goal 2: GALIP will increase the cross-cultural competency of participating students, faculty, and agribusiness leaders. Objective 2.1: By May 2010, Cohort I GALIP participants will report growth in their cross-cultural competency. Objective 2.2: In May 2011, Cohort II GALIP participants will report growth in their cross-cultural competency.

Project Methods
GALIP will pilot an International Agriculture Certificate Program, which will require 18 hours of coursework in agriculture topics, language, and travel study. Students and faculty will spend four weeks at University of Guanajuato in an intensive, language immersion experience. The following fall, students, faculty, and agribusiness leaders will return to Mexico for one week at Antonio Narro. At that time, students will present their international case study for critique. Back in the U.S., students will present their international agricultural case studies at regional professional conferences and at vocational agriculture programs at local schools. GALIP participants will increase their cross-cultural competence, and the revised curriculum will create new forums of dialogue about international agriculture issues.

Progress 08/01/08 to 06/30/11

Outputs
The Global Agriculture Leadership Incubator Project (GALIP) has completed the third and final year (May 2010 - June 2011). The goal of GALIP was to internationalize the curriculum at the University of Tennessee at Martin and expand the cross-cultural competency of the participating students and faculty. The program has been a success in accomplishing these goals. Through the GALIP initiative 11 students and 3 faculty members participated in language immersion, travel study, and course development that has broadened the capacity to understand and relate to other cultures. In the spring 2009 semester, GALIP participants completed a Spanish for agriculture course on campus. The cohort 1 students traveled to Guanajuato Mexico for a four-week language immersion experience. All participants completed 6 hours of Spanish credit. Due to scheduling conflicts, the fall 2009 travel study course was postponed to the spring 2010 semester. In the spring 2010 semester, Cohort 2 was selected and completed orientation. Cohort 2, consisted of six students (2 male and 4 female). The new AGEC 350 Agriculture Marketing in North America was taught for the first time. The University of Tennessee at Martin faculty senate approved the development of the International Agriculture Certificate Program (IACP) and Cohort 1 and 2 participants worked to complete the 18 hour requirements. Cohort 1 participants completed the travel study (AGRI 230 Travel Study in Agriculture) to Saltillo Mexico. The group toured Mexican agribusinesses and the Universidad of Antonio Narro where they shared their international marketing ideas with faculty and students. The cohort 1 participants and 5 additional students and 1 agribusiness leader participated in the trip and activities. In the summer 2010, cohort 2 participated in the four week study abroad language program in Guanajuato Mexico. Students completed 6 hours of Spanish language courses. Students in cohort 2 began developing the international marketing plans for GALIP. The fall semester 2010 students and faculty continued to make presentations on the GALIP experience to civic and education groups. The final travel study experience for cohort 2 to Mexico was postponed due to travel conditions in Mexico. Dr. Mehlhorn received permission to move the travel study trip to Spring 2011 to an alternate site. The GALIP director chose to travel to a Hispanic Serving Institution in the U.S. The location was California State University at Fresno (Fresno State). The final trip consisted of visiting numerous agribusiness operations as well as visiting with university faculty and students. The trip allowed students to better understand the cultural difference between various agriculture regions within the United States. During the fall 2010 semester, cohort participants completed international marketing plans and required course for IACP. Faculty in the agriculture department plan to continue the program and expand it to other countries. The experience has been very rewarding for the students. PRODUCTS: A new course, AGEC 350 Agricultural Marketing in North America was developed as a result of the GALIP program and is now being taught to approximately 35 students on an annual basis. A formalized International Agricultural Certificate (IACP) is available to students on the campus of University of Tennessee at Martin. OUTCOMES: Students perceptions of the benefits of cross cultural education have been increased as a result of the program. The curriculum for agricultural students has been broadened to include more emphasis on international issues through new teaching lectures and new course development. Multiple academic research posters are displayed outside of the classrooms where agriculture students attend class. The importance of international diversity are more accessible because of the GALIP program. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Since the inception of the GALIP project faculty and students have worked to develop presentations to various groups. These groups include civic groups and professional regional and national meetings. Peer reviewed presentations have been made at the Southern Association of Agricultural Economics and the NACTA meetings. Each student participant continues to speak and share their experiences among their peer groups as well as community. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The project has led to another relationship with a college in Canada (Olds College). At the completion of the GALIP program in July 2011 two faculty and three students conducted a travel study research trip to Canada to discuss the start of a research student exchange program. This is the second step of our goal to have a true North American experience for UT Martin agriculture students. In the future we plan to have students complete two different international experiences and expand the IACP program to all of North America. In the future the program may also be expanded to include China and India as possible sites for international education opportunities for students as they increase in importance for global agriculture.

Impacts
The impact on the student participants has been very valuable. They have truly embraced the importance of living and competing in a global economy. The faculty that participated have an expanded view of the world. As a result, more international focus is provided for the agriculture students in the department. There has also been an increased desire for students in the department to participate in international travel study and exchange programs. This was a goal to increase the awareness of global opportunities for our students and it has worked. The program has made our students better prepared for the global agribusiness work environment. Students have shown a positive change in their understanding of other cultures. This impact has been very good especially since the university serves a predominantly rural area. The final results of the impact will be known in several years as graduates enter the work environment.

Publications

• Mehlhorn, J.E., S.A. Mehlhorn, and A. Brown Using Journaling and Surveys to Assess Student Outcomes from Study Abroad Programs in Agriculture. (Abstract) NACTA Journal Vol. 54 Number 2 June 2010
• Mehlhorn, J.E., S.A. Mehlhorn, and B. Daniels. Internationalizing the College Experience for Agribusiness Students (Abstract) Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, vol. 43:3 (2011) p. 474.

Progress 08/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
The Global Agriculture Leadership Incubator Project (GALIP) has completed the second year (January 2009- May 2010). The goal of GALIP is to internationalize the curriculum at the University of Tennessee at Martin and expand the cross cultural competency of the participating students and faculty. In the spring 2009 semester, GALIP participants completed a Spanish for agriculture course on campus. The cohort 1 students traveled to Guanajuato Mexico for a four week language immersion experience. All participants completed 6 hours of Spanish credit. Due to scheduling conflicts, the fall 2009 travel study course was postponed to the spring 2010 semester. In the spring 2010 semester, Cohort 2 was selected and completed orientation. Cohort 2, consisted of six students (2 male and 4 female). The new AGEC 350 Agriculture Marketing in North America was taught for the first time. The University of Tennessee at Martin faculty senate approved the development of the International Agriculture Certificate Program (IACP) and Cohort 1 and 2 participants worked to complete the 18 hour requirements. Cohort 1 participants completed the travel study (AGRI 230 Travel Study in Agriculture) to Saltillo Mexico. The group toured Mexican agribusinesses and the Universidad of Antonio Narro where they shared their international marketing ideas with faculty and students. The cohort 1 participants and 5 additional students and 1 agribusiness leader participated in the trip and activities. In the summer 2010, cohort 2 participated in the four study abroad language program in Guanajuato Mexico. Students completed 6 hours of Spanish language courses. Students in cohort 2 began developing the international marketing plans for GALIP. The fall semester 2010 students and faculty continued to make presentations on the GALIP experience to civic and education groups. The final travel study experience for cohort 2 to Mexico was postponed due to travel conditions in Mexico. Dr. Mehlhorn received permission to move the travel study trip to Spring 2011 to an alternate site. It is expected that the final travel study trip will take place at a Hispanic Serving Institution in the U.S. The actual location is subject to change. During the fall 2010 semester, cohort participants continue to complete international marketing plans and required course for IACP. PRODUCTS: During the 2010 year 6 student stipends for international travel experiences were developed through the GALIP program. The stipends include travel and housing expenses associated with the program. A new course AGEC 350 Agricultural Marketing in North America was developed and taught to over 45 students at the UT Martin campus. The International Agriculture Certificate Program (IACP) was developed and became part of the UT Martin curriculum. OUTCOMES: New teaching modules were created to support the Agriculture Marketing in North America curriculum. The modules were developed and delivered online to GALIP participants and UT Martin students. These modules will be used in various undergraduate courses and presentations. The International Agriculture Certificate Program (IACP) has become available to all UT Martin students. This will lead to an expansion of the program to include other languages such as French and German in the future. The relationship between the department of agriculture and natural resources was strengthened through the relationships developed with the community through the travel study trip. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Students and faculty have been active in presenting materials on the GALIP experience to different groups. Presentations related to the GALIP experience have been made at the local and national level. Presentations have been made at the 2010 Southern Agricultural Economics Association meetings and the 2010 NACTA meetings. Materials were also presented to the Center for International Education advisory board and the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences advisory boards. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Initial planning has begun to replicated the GALIP program to other countries. An initial seed grant was submitted and funded by the Canadian government to take agriculture students to Canada to learn about Canadian agriculture and develop a partnership between the University of Olds and the University of Tennessee at Martin. A similar initiative to GALIP will be developed for Canadian agriculture. The ultimate goal would be to have students in the GALIP program participate in the Canada travel study program and make it a truly North American experience. We do expect the international curriculum to be expanded as new courses and research opportunities increase between the Mexico and Canada universities and the GALIP students.

Impacts
The number of students participating the IACP program is expected to increase as more students learn about the program. The students that complete the IACP program will be better prepared to meet the challenges of the global marketplace. It is expected that the students who participate in the program will become more culturally aware. This will make an impact on the rural communities where the students live and work. Initial survey data from participants has shown a positive increase in their perceptions of working internationally. Several GALIP participants have begun to work on campus as cultural ambassadors to international students on campus.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 08/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
The Global Agriculture Leadership Incubator Project (GALIP) has completed the first year. The goal of GALIP is to internationalize the curriculum of the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) and expand the cross-cultural competency of the participating students and faculty. In December 2008 participants for Cohort I were selected through an application process. Cohort I consisted of three female students and 2 male students and Joey Mehlhorn. In the spring 2009, the UTM continuing education department, along with the UTM Center for International Education, developed a Spanish for Agribusiness course. The students and Dr. Joey Mehlhorn completed the Spanish for Agribusiness course during the spring semester. The course was also made available to other area agribusiness leaders and students and faculty across campus. On July 4, 2009 Cohort I traveled to Guanajuato Mexico to attend the University of Guanajuato for Spanish immersion classes. The immersion program consisted of 4 weeks of language courses in grammar, conversation, and history and culture. Participants interacted with the local population through home stays, educational tours, and classroom activities. All participants were surveyed about their perceptions of international activity and Mexican culture prior to the immersion program by evaluator Andrew Brown. Upon completion of the immersion experience students were post surveyed. The initial review of surveys, student journals, and general conversations with students show that student perceptions were altered through the experience. Initially, the cohort had planned to conduct a travel study experience to present international marketing plans with the University of Antonio Narro in Saltillo Mexico for the Fall 2009 semester. Due to scheduling conflicts with the UTM class schedule the trip has been moved to the 2010 spring semester to allow for more time in Mexico with agribusiness faculty and professionals. The cohort will be surveyed again after the spring 2010 travel study experience. In the fall 2009, a new UTM course was developed and added to the agribusiness curriculum. The course was AGEC 350 Agricultural marketing in North America. The course will be taught in the spring 2010 semester and all cohort participants are required to enroll. The course will include cultural components of both Canada and Mexico and will build from the Mexican immersion experience. The development of an International Agriculture Certificate Program (IACP) will be completed by Spring 2010. The certificate program consists of 18 hours of college credit connected to international agriculture courses and language courses. Courses included in the program include the following courses: International Food and Fiber Systems, International Agricultural Trade, Agricultural Marketing in North America, Travel Study in Agriculture, and six hours of language immersion courses. In light of the goals and objectives set forth in the USDA GALIP Program at UT Martin, both PD Dr. Joey Mehlhorn and evaluator Mr. Andrew Brown concur that this project is on budget and on task at this juncture, and we project continued project success in the future PRODUCTS: Five student stipends for international travel experiences were developed through the GALIP program. The stipends include travel and housing expenses associated with the program. New educational materials have been developed to incorporate international marketing plans for students participating in the program. These materials will also be disseminated and used in various courses on campus. OUTCOMES: A new international course, AGEC 350 Agricultural Marketing in North America has been developed and added to the curriculum as a result of GALIP. The new course will give students more access and insight into international cultural and marketing issues. The course will be offered online through the university to encourage broader range of students that currently do not major in agriculture. The new course has also been added to the international studies major and the agribusiness majors at UT Martin. The International Agriculture Certificate Program (IACP) has been developed through the GALIP. This program will allow students from across many disciplines to increase their understanding of agriculture and international issues. A new continuing education course called Spanish for Agribusiness has been developed through the department of continuing education on the campus of UT Martin. This course is open to community residents and leaders. It expands the reach of the project to off campus entities. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Student and faculty participants in GALIP have been actively sharing information with different groups. Direct presentations of preliminary and ongoing results from the project have been presented to several groups both national and local. National presentations have been given to the 2009 NACTA/SERD conference in Stillwater OK and the 2008 CIEE Conference on International Educational Exchange in Nashville TN. Student participants have been giving presentations to area civic groups such as the Martin Rotary and the Carroll County FCE Club. Also, students have used the experience to other college students on campus through presentations in various courses and well as speaking to the entire college freshman body. Information has also been shared with the Center for Global Studies advisory board and the agriculture advisory board. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We plan to expand the GALIP model to include other countries. This would require the development of regional specific courses such as Asian or African agricultural marketing. The university plans to build on the success of the GALIP program and encourage more students and faculty to have international experiences. We do expect to expand the curriculum offerings associated with international agriculture courses.

Impacts
The development of the International Agriculture Certificate (IACP) will allow students to be better prepared to be successful in international agriculture situations. We expect to increase the number of well trained students that are available to work and make positive contributions to agribusiness companies. We are also expecting to see a greater future impact in the lives of GALIP participants through a better understanding of the international community around them. They are able to take their knowledge and share with others in our rural communities. This is expected to have a broad impact as more rural areas as participants perceptions are changed with regard to international cultures.

Publications

• No publications reported this period