Progress 07/01/10 to 06/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: ACTIVITIES included a number of studies conducted by students and faculty in the areas of Criminal Justice, Faculty Resesearch, Critical Languages, Natural Sciences-Environmental Health (NSEH) and Rural Public Policy; internships for students in the departments of Business Administration and Applied Technology-Technology Management, curricular enhancements and course offerings across the spectrum for the USDA-funded academic programs, the hiring of professors within the Critical Languages area, and increased testing opportunities for students through the University Testing Services activity, which offered GED testing for qualified candidates and MAPP testing for university seniors. EVENTS: Professional development sessions for staff and faculty in the Office of Financial Aid; researchers in the Faculty Research activity attended the 2010 Mississippi Academy of Sciences annual meeting in Hattiesburg, MS, two paper presentations at the 2011 Southern Association of Agronomy conference in Corpus Christi, TX, and the American Society of Agronomy in Orlando, FL; students in NSEH traveled to the sites on the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana to conduct research on water quality and effects on bioluminescent bacteria at the site of the 2011 Deepwater Horizon oil spill; the Admissions Office activity hosted several on-campus recruiting events, including Fall High School Day, the Fall Counselors' Workshop, and a Spring High School day. PRODUCTS included the acquisition of tools in the Institutional Research area that have improved data collection efforts, including upgrades to MVSU's Banner system that help it to better comply with federal reporting requirements concerning demographics; the Business Administration Dept. maintained its good standing with its accrediting body the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP); the purchase of a centrifuge and flow meter for the build-up of the NSEH department for $8,873.25; courses delivered via the Internet and video-conferencing for students in the Critical Languages program beginning in Fall 2009, which connected students to native speakers of languages in other nations; verbal agreements for study-abroad placement with universities in Taiwan, mainland China and St. Petersburg, Russia; the establishment of the Bridge Project which partnered 15 MVSU students studying Arabic with 8 students from Oman. DISSEMINATION: Outputs have been disseminated in myriad ways, including through the publication of studies, paper presentations at national and regional conferences, printed handouts, and through video conferencing among other methods. PARTICIPANTS: Mrs. Earlean Anderson served as the principal investigator in the overall administration of this USDA project. She oversaw the 13 activity directors and ensured proper adherence to agency guidelines and management of the program. Mrs. Margaret Clark served as the technical assistant for the program, processing paperwork, monitoring purchases, and maintaining the records of each activity. Activity Directors were: Dr. Richard Mushi (FACULTY RESEARCH and RURAL PUBLIC POLICY; fellow faculty, Dr. M. Pande and Dr. X. Wu); Dr. R. Maxwell (APPLIED TECHNOLOGY and TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT); Dr. Lawrence Gulley (BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION); Dr. C. Brown (CRIMINAL JUSTICE); Dr. Kathie Stromile-Golden (CRITICAL LANGUAGES); Dr. Elizabeth Evans (PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION); Dr. Vincent Venturini (SOCIAL WORK); Dr. Louis Hall (NATURAL SCIENCES and ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH); Mrs. J. Williams (PI, ADMISSIONS-Office of Admissions and Recruitment); Dr. Juanita Morris (Dr. John Jones, new director, INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH); Ms. Shirley Grayson (UNIVERSITY TESTING); Dr. T. McKnight ([OFFICE of] FINANCIAL AID) PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS: In accordance with its second objective, the Office of International Programs (CRITICAL LANGUAGES) received verbal agreements for study-abroad placement with Catholic University in Taiwan, Xianning College in Xianning City, China, and St. Petersburg State University in Russia. OIP and Secondary School No.7 in Uglegorsk Amur, Russia and Adam School in Oman have conducted online discussions between MVSU students and teachers from the school in an effort to encourage MVSU students to give more serious thought to Study Abroad and to share information about their countries. OIP's Director drafted MOUs and shared them with potential partners from Northwest University in Lanzhou, China and China University of Geosciences in Beijing. Also, students in the RURAL PUBLIC POLICY activity were able to take part in practicum positions with local public agencies. The program entered into an agreement to have seven Rural Public Policy students conduct practica to get hands-on knowledge, experience and networking skills in these arenas. Among these agencies were the Tax Assessor's Office in Leflore County, the City of Greenwood, the City of Greenville, the Mississippi Institute of Higher Education (Greenville), MVSU and the City of Itta Bena. COLLABORATORS and CONTACTS: Course offerings have been increased in the Rural Public Policy activity thanks to collaborations with NSEH. TRAINING and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Ms. Carol Lipsey, with the Institutional Research activity, took part in training for the department's new software Class Climate at two conferences. Faculty in the APPLIED TECHNOLOGY activity were able to attend national conferences, seminars, and workshops. During the 2009-10 academic year, the department took four students and three faculty persons to the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) national conference in Louisville, Kentucky, to research the possibility of establishing a student chapter of Epsilon Pi Tau. TARGET AUDIENCES: TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences of this USDA program were the students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community of Mississippi Valley State University. The majority of MVSU students and staff and its surrounding community of Itta Bena are African-American. More than 90 percent of MVSU students qualify for some form of financial aid. The univresity is centrally located in Leflore County, the heart of the 18-county Delta area, where the mainly African-American residents are undereducated, underemployed and often suffer from poor health. EFFORTS: Through the UNIVERSITY TESTING activity, MVSU was able to ensure the testing of 50 GED students. Through the INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH activity, changes to the university's Banner system gave MVSU improved tools to better identify Hispanics and multiracial persons. Students, faculty and staff also received training through regional and national conferences, as well as hands-on training through the establishment of practica with local agencies and partnerships with universities in other nations. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: To ensure the close out of this USDA project, which expired June 30, 2012, a budget modification was needed to finalize all objectives and exhaust all funds. Proposed budget revisions were approved under a No Cost Extension for 2011-12. The recommendation was made that $293,000 be redistributed over five academic areas and three support areas, including program administration. The five academic areas were selected based on NIFA's priorities and the needs of the global market. These budget revisions did not change the original scope of the project. The eight areas that were budgeted in the No Cost Extension were: FACULTY/STUDENT RESEARCH; BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION; NATURAL SCIENCES & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH; RURAL PUBLIC POLICY; SOCIAL WORK; PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION; ADMISSIONS; and INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH & EFFECTIVENESS.
Impacts
OUTCOMES/IMPACTS: Many of the outcomes for this project included improved methods for data gathering, course and curriculum enhancements, hiring of faculty, and software upgrades. The Institutional Research activity, among other things, sought to encourage more accurate data collection and to make available online survey tools for interested campus units. They were able to solve more than 50 percent of data-related issues by acquiring additional scripts for ad hoc reporting, implementing a change within the Banner system that encompasses new demographic data, and increasing outreach to academic departments requiring data to aid in decision-making. Staffer Ms. Carol Lipsey took part in training for the department's new software Class Climate at two conferences. For the Criminal Justice activity, a new research practicum curriculum was submitted to the Academic Policy Council for final approval, in accordance with the activity's first objective. The Critical Languages program had many positive outcomes. The program conducted three workshops and one lecture focused on Cultural Sensitivity and Navigating Other Societies. Of the 41 students participating in these activities, 27 submitted personal reflections. Of the 27 students submitting personal reflections, 63% viewed participation in the workshops and lectures as a great experience, while 81% noted an increased in cultural awareness and sensitivity to cross-cultural differences in norms governing person-to-person interactions, social practices, religion and food ways. Approximately 60% indicated that they were able to develop cross-cultural friendships that otherwise would not have come to fruition. In the Rural Public Policy activity, faculty meetings were held to address curriculum concerns by students. These efforts led to the crafting of a student handbook that lays out procedures for successful matriculation. Course offerings have been increased due to collaboration with NSEH. There was a more than 5 percent increase in new admissions into the program. More than 8 students completed the program in 2010, for a graduation rate of 100 percent, and it has seen greater numbers of non-traditional students from the community as well as employees of the university. The program has been able to offer the courses they need in different specializations despite the shortage of full-time program faculty.
Publications
- Viscardi, C, Thurmond, R., Goli, MB and Pande, M. 2011. Effect of Potassium Application on Soybean Seed Protein and Oil Composition.
- Wu, X. 2010. New Ways of Teaching Mathematics, Computer Science and Business Models through the Study of Dynamics of Duopoly Games in Business Competition.
- Dixon, T. and X. Wu. 2010. Stability and limit cycle for a new Cournot Duopoly Game (abstract), J. of Mississippi Academy of Sciences, vol. 55, No. 1.
- Epps T, Rucker C, Goli MB, Pande, M. 2010. Soybean Seed Composition as affected by Foliar K and Glyphosate Applications and Cultivar Differences.
- Little, T L, Epps T, Rucker C, Goli MB, Pande M. 2010. Effect of Potassium and Glyphosate Foliar Applications on Mineral Uptake in two Cultivars of Soybean.
- Murray, Lisa M1, Thakur, M2, Goli, MB and Pande, M. 2011. Effects of Foliar and Soil Application of Potassium on Soybean Mineral Composition.
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