Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/10
Outputs
Phase IV was able to accomplish was to begin the process of constructing a 5-year strategic plan of work that included a vision and mission statement and specific values that each of the eight institutions pledged to follow. This will allow us to build even greater linkages among the Insular Area Institutions that will have a significant, demonstrable commitment to higher education programs in the food and agricultural sciences. Our vision statement is quite clear, "Caribbean and Pacific Island students contribute to sustaining a balanced and healthy society," and our mission statement, "To provide excellent higher education in Agriculture and Food Science, within the Insular Areas, to meet the evolving needs of a global society" - supports both RIIA program goals: (1) to increase the number of graduates with a degree in the food and agricultural sciences and (2) helps students achieve their career goals and help meet workplace needs by increasing the quality of undergraduate instruction. In addition, we created eight values that we plan to follow as me move forward. We develop activities that are mutually beneficial to members of the group. Resources are allocated effectively. We provide high quality educations that enable our students to have a positive impact in our communities. We are proactive and act in an affirmative manner. We look for opportunities and not just wait for people to tell us what to do. We turn problems into opportunities and take full responsibility for our actions. We pay our bills to each other on time. We turn in our applications and reports in on time. We use CariPac funds for the stated purposes and provide supporting documentation and maintain transparent processes. We work as a team to build on each others strengths and skills to make better decisions, both individually and collectively. We value the success of participating institutions as the success of the consortium. We feel that understanding builds appreciation, which encourages respect, with in turn develops trust. The consortium is built on integrity. Integrity builds trust. Our different cultural and ethnic backgrounds bind and strengthen our consortium. We are sensitive and respectful of our cultural differences. Our values are important to the effective functioning of consortium. We take them seriously and live them in all our interactions. This was showcased this year as we presented our accomplishments at the USDA 2009 Science Hill Exhibit. PRODUCTS: Guam was able to increase the educational opportunities, scholarships, in the food and agricultural sciences, increase distant education capabilities and participate in distant education activities in conjunction with other insular institutions in the CariPac consortium, and increase interest in agriculture and food science majors by targeting high school students through summer internship programs. Virgin Islands increased the educational opportunities in agriculture for undergraduate students at UVI and improved distance education facilities and participate in distance education activities in conjunction with other insular institutions in the CariPac consortium. FSM, enhanced courses of study and degree programs, curricula and instructional materials and technology development and library resources, enhanced instructional delivery systems and development and use of alternative methods of delivering, and enhanced student recruitment, retention and educational and enhance educational equity and strengthen student recruitment and retention. Northern Mariana Islands, improved distance education facilities and provide training for food and agriculture sciences, increased the number of courses offered through the NRM program by hiring additional faculty and increase student recruitment and retention by twenty five percent. Palau, improved the current curriculum in the agricultural science program, developed strategies to recruit high school graduates to take up agricultural science as career, develop alternative means of instruction especially in non-laboratory courses by improving distance education and video- teleconferencing facilities and provide training to professors of agriculture sciences, and recruit highly qualified teaching staff in food and agriculture sciences. Marshall Islands worked on designing a certificate program in agriculture that will be offered at the local institution, improved distance education facilities in local institutions, and improved recruitment strategy from the local high schools for students in the food and agriculture science program. American Samoa established a distant education facility for agriculture and life science students and provided scholarships for two ALS graduates who have been accepted into an accredited degree program in agriculture or food sciences. Continued scholarship assistance would be dependent on future funding. Puerto Rico improved distance education facilities and provide training to professors of food and agriculture sciences, augment 20 percent the number of students in critical areas of food and agricultural sciences, especially in agriculture economics, in order to increase the number of underrepresented professionals, and designed curricular sequences Professional Certificate Programs to be offered on line to increase opportunities to students across the island and among interested insular land grant and CariPac members. OUTCOMES: Consortium produced a Mission and Vision statement & began to implement a 5 year strategic plan. Consortium presented outcomes in Science Hill Exhibit. Guam trained 5 High school summer interns, built distant learning classroom and hired a DL faculty to work on DL development. University of Puerto Rico, increased freshmen enrollment by 13.5 percent. Conducted a four week summer internship program for the rest of the consortium members. Two professors presented 6 curricula for agricultural students. Northern Marianas College, did a marketing campaign that included the printing of brochures posters for prospective students. Students attended the summer internship in Puerto Rico. This experience was worth their efforts according these students. American Samoa, since more computers were purchased, daily computer users are at an average of 120 students. Continue to hire 1 lab assist to supervise the lab. Lab has been instrumental in asynchronous instruction by using Moodle programs. Finally able to have videoconferences for instructional purposes. 122 students enrolled in CNR courses up 55 percent from last year. Five scholarships awarded to ASCC graduates in the US. Sent 1 student to UPR summer internship program. Palau Community College, developed a new course to increase student access and learning. Recruitment increased enrollment by 50 students. Procured additional classroom equipment to enhance student learning. Student experimental learning widen our student perspective in the field of food and agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico. University of the Virgin Islands, sent one undergraduate student and one graduate student to the US mainland - Dickinson College and Mississippi State University, and an undergraduate student from UVI conducted research in the Animal Science lab. The data from one of the undergraduate students was presented at the meeting of the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science (MacAuley, et al., 2010). A UVI undergraduate student conducted research in the Biotechnology and Agro-forestry lab. Marshall Islands, sent 2 students to UPR Internship program. Continued to teach Intro to Ag, exceeding student maximum numbers, hired additional adjunct faculty because of the demand. Federated States of Micronesia, sent one student to the internship program in Puerto Rico. Student Enrollment in agriculture up 3 percent and in food technology up 15 percent. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: In Phase IV we were able to display our consortium impacts/outcomes at the Eleventh Agricultural Science and Education Exhibition on Capital Hill. However, CariPac Consortium media group did produce a very well received brochure entitled, Caribbean and Pacific Consortium - Caribbean and Pacific Island students contribute to sustaining a balanced and healthy society. We plan to update this brochure on a yearly bases and pass it out at numerous USDA-NIFA conferences. We do have a CariPac website and this site can be used as another means of dissemination who we are, our results and products produced. FUTURE INITIATIVES: CariPac will continue to develop collaborative relations with other land-grant institutions, as well as other universities and colleges as appropriate in trying to secure its long-range goals. CariPac will expand on current discussions with the University of Alaska and the University of Hawaii, as institutions that share the geographical isolation common to the insular areas. Building from this base, CariPac will begin discussions with additional mainland institutions through contacts with educational associations. CariPac will request the opportunity to provide a presentation about its development and activities at the meetings of the western and southern regional associations of land grant universities. These two regions respectively encompass the Pacific and Caribbean insular areas. CariPac will explore immediate and longer-term opportunities for developing new partnerships in long-distance education and resident instructions with these universities. CariPac will explore with APLU the possibility of greater participation by the insular institutions in the associations' activities. During the development of their individual projects, CariPac institutions will work with their local government agencies as appropriate to the project, ranging from local agricultural offices to educational offices. In addition, CariPac representatives will also arrange to introduce and present CariPac activities to appropriate federal agencies. CariPac will ask to meet with additional federal agency program leaders, such as the Department of Interior. In March 2009, CariPac consortium members met in Washington DC to begin to discuss their projected 5-year Strategic Plan. What was produced at that annual meeting was a Mission and Vision Statement and 7-values that the Consortium will follow.
Impacts
The University of Puerto Rico was able strengthen academic program offerings through the acquisition of state of the art equipment for teaching and research. The University of Virgin Islands increased the educational opportunities in agriculture for undergraduate and graduate students. Northern Marianas College increased enrollment in Natural Resources at NMC and increased scholarship and/or financial-aid opportunities for students. The College of the Marshall Islands produced certificate programs in food and agricultural sciences. Five percent of students with certificates pursued higher degrees in food and agricultural sciences. Palau Community College developed additional courses in Agricultural Science to accommodate specializations in Plant Science, Animal Science, and Crop Protection, increase manpower resources required in instruction. The College of Micronesia produced a number of Certificates in Agriculture, and hired a full-time coordinator to assist in the Associate degree program. American Samoa Community College hired faculty to support existing staff, offered scholarships to associate degree holders to seek either a Bachelor's or Master's degree, and developed a glossary or instructional materials for both print and web-based formats. The University of Guam developed a sustainable technologies for Tropical Farm System course that will address the development of small sustainable farm systems for Guam and for other consortium members and developed a web-based DE course that includes a DE laboratory.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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