PREPARING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES FOR CAREERS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES THROUGH SUMMER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0226930
• Grant No.: 2011-38821-31030
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $149,345.00
• Proposal No.: 2011-02530
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2011
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2015
• Grant Year: 2011
• Program Code: [EP]- Teaching Project

Recipient Organization
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
PETERSBURG,VA 23803

Performing Department
Cooperative Extension

Non Technical Summary
This project builds on the strategic plan of the Department of Agriculture and Human Ecology (AgHE) at Virginia State University (VSU), to attract underrepresented minorities into career in Food and Agricultural Sciences and meet the national need for scientists trained in Agricultural sciences at the Baccalaureate degree level. This is an educational project (EP) proposal in the General Agricultural Science (G1) discipline. The proposal supports the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) Agriculture Systems and Technology priority area. Specifically, this project addresses the problem of Global Food Security by attracting and preparing a diversified pool of college students to become food and agricultural scientists and professionals. The project will also strengthen the quality of teaching programs at VSU and enhance its contribution to the U.S. food and agricultural industry through curriculum revision and innovative experiential learning activities. We will achieve these goals through enhanced student recruitment, retention and experiential learning activities, that target Southside Virginia and encourage at-risk youth to participate in recruitment and enrichment programs. Two types of summer programs will be used to enlighten, train and provide experiential learning opportunities to 111 participants. So, the major programs in this project are: 1) Development of educational materials on agricultural careers and course changes in AgHE, 2) Teachers' Educational Workshop (TEW) program for high school teaches, 3) Youth Summer Enrichment Academy (YSEA) program for recruitment of high school and community college students and, 4) VSU Student Summer Research Internship (SSRI) program to strengthen our retention efforts through experiential learning and recruit students with associate degrees from community colleges. An aggressive recruitment campaign will be conducted through strategic partnerships with feeder high schools and community colleges to boost recruitment efforts and strengthen our program, increase the retention rate, and foster experiential learning opportunities for students to pursue food and agricultural science careers. The project will strengthen our Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Agriculture program. These proposed programs are designed to attract high-achieving students from underrepresented groups into our department, enhance diversity in the nation's agricultural workforce and prepare students for rewarding careers in Food and Agricultural Sciences

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

100%

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

recruitment

retention

experiential learning

Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to recruit outstanding students, particularly minorities, into the B. S. program in Agriculture at VSU and prepare them to meet the growing demand for highly trained food and agricultural graduates. This Educational Project (EP) builds on the strategic plan of the Department of Agriculture and Human Ecology at the Baccalaureate degree level. It is in the General Agricultural Science (G1) discipline and addresses two specific objectives: 1) Increasing recruitment and retention in the B.S. in agriculture program at Virginia State University; and 2) Increasing diversity in the Food and Agricultural Science profession. It specifically focuses on Student Recruitment and Retention, and experiential learning (Education Need Area). The project reflects USDA's mission to train scientists to meet the global needs of a rapidly changing food and agricultural industry. It will boost recruitment effort, strengthen academic program, increase retention rate and foster experiential learning opportunities for students in the academia, while preparing graduates for a competitive global market. Expected outcomes of the project include 1) Curricula revision and course/instructional materials development; 2) Teachers' Educational Workshop that will enlighten 30 high school teachers on recent developments in the Agricultural industry; 3) Youth Summer Enrichment Academy (YSEA) for high school and commodity college students for two summers weeks at VSU benefiting 75 high school students over three years; 4) VSU Research Internship Program through which a minimum of 6 undergraduate students are provided with experiential learning opportunities during the project period. Overall, the project will attract top students to enroll in B.S. in Agriculture program at VSU. 

Project Methods
The project objectives will be achieved through innovative recruitment, retention and experiential learning activities that target high school and community college students through curriculum development, summer enrichment activities and educational programs for teacher. The project will strengthen our B.S. program in Agriculture through curriculum development, experiential learning and teacher preparation, using innovative set of activities. We will directly train and support students and teachers, and establish strategic partnerships with high schools, community colleges, government agencies and private businesses.

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Rising high school juniors and seniors considering pursuit of a career in science, technology, enginerring, agriculture or mathematics (STEAM). Fifteen high school students were trained during the summer 2015 summer enrichment programby faculty, staff and undergraduate students in Agriculture at Virginial StateUniversity. Final half day was also open to participants' families. Current undergraduate students in the Department of Agriculture at VSU. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The summer enrichment program has provided short duration employment for several undergraduate students in the Department of Agriculture at VSU, and has enabled them to strengthen their social and planning skills, as well as strengthen their knowledge of programs offered by the College of Agriculture. Furthermore, the grant enabled a one-day workshop on use of technology to enhance classroom teaching and learning, which was offered for VSU faculty. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To high school students and family members who participated in the VSU Dept. of Agriculture's Summer Enrichment Program activities. To members of North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) through posters presented at annual conferences, and through abstracts published in the NACTA Journal. To readers of Extension Connection, published by VSU's College of Agriculture in print and online at http://agriculture.vsu.edu What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Summer enrichment programs for rising high school juniors and seniors were conducted during 2102-2015. A total of 57 students were trained. All participants were encouraged to consider a college education, and to consider STEAM as a career path.A number of participantsenrolled in the Department of Agriculture after participation, and two undergraduate students have been retained to present day. Supplies were purchased to enhance experiential learning opportunities for students in soil science and animal science/pre-vet courses, and a forum was held to present agribusiness students' business plans to faculty andstudents in the College of Ag and and to visiting professionals at the end of the agribusiness entrepreneurship course. A number of curriculum changes were approved during the life of the grant, which included course changes and additions to update and enhance the Department's curricula. Finally, two faculty conducted recruitment for the Department at an out-of-state college preparatory program.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Catanzaro, C., P. Thomas-Buchanan and O. Odeh. 2014. Summer enrichment programs: A tool to increase enrollment in agriculture at Virginia State University. NACTA Journal 58(Suppl. 1):55.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Catanzaro, C. and N. Jaja. 2015. Summer interns as recipients and deliverers of agriculture related information. NACTA Journal 59(Suppl. 1):97.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Olgers, M. Fall 2015. Recruiting Future Agriculture Leaders to Address Tomorrow's Challenge. Extension Connection: For friends of Virginia State University's College of Agriculture. p. 15. Retrieved on Dec. 7, 2015. http://agriculture.vsu.edu/files/docs/cooperative-extension/extension-connection.pdf

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Based on the academic performance after their first year, one of the scholars was dropped from the VSU Multicultural program because of personal issues that affected her academic standing. In August 2010, a new scholar, Ivahna Evans (Agriculture Business and Economics), was recruited as a replacement. The scholars have actively participated in the department recruitment drive on campus and in high school visits, sharing their stories and experiences with high school students and emphasizing the importance of college education. They have assisted faculty members in the evaluation of agricultural extension workshops and conferences through survey administration and analysis. The scholars were on internships over the past summer where they were exposed to and acquired valuable skills in the workplace. One was among the two students selected from our program to participate in the Monsanto Leadership events in September 2010 at St. Louis, Missouri. As a result of this, he was selected to participate in the 12 week-long Monsanto 2011 summer undergraduate Internship program. In the program, he worked with a team of Monsanto Sales Representatives and understudied strategies used by the company in the sale of seeds to growers. Another scholar in our program was also on a 12 week-long 2011 summer internship with the USDA-NRCS in Washington D.C. where she worked with USDA soil conservationists and was exposed to farm activities and some environmental policies and programs. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Overall, two of the scholars are on track to graduate in four years, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The third scholar is on track to graduate before his fourth year at Virginia State University, having completed eighty-four credit hours already. Ensuring that these scholars graduate by/within four years with their bachelor's degree is a major measure of the VSU-MSP program. Efforts are currently being made to pipeline these scholars into reputable postgraduate programs, upon graduation from Virginia State University.

Publications

• No publications reported this period