Source: MICHIGAN STATE UNIV submitted to
GROWING NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT PATHWAYS INTO AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
EXTENDED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1024242
Grant No.
2020-70411-32766
Project No.
MICL05123
Proposal No.
2020-07133
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
NBTS
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2020
Project End Date
Sep 14, 2025
Grant Year
2020
Project Director
Sorroche, E.
Recipient Organization
MICHIGAN STATE UNIV
(N/A)
EAST LANSING,MI 48824
Performing Department
NATIVE AMER INST
Non Technical Summary
The aim of this proposal is to strengthen pathways for Native American undergraduates (i.e., freshman and sophomores) to major in agriculture disciplines. Over 48 months, Natives in Agriculture (NAP) will engage two cohorts of four Native American students (N=8). Students will be recruited into NAP during the fall semester.Once admitted into the two-year program, students will be provided with factuly andpeer mentor support and funding.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
80%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90300010001100%
Goals / Objectives
The aim of this proposal is to strengthen pathways for Native American undergraduates (i.e., freshman and sophomores) to major in agriculture disciplines. Over 48 months, Natives in Agriculture (NAP) will engage two cohorts of four Native American students (N=8). Students will be recruited into NAP during the fall semester. Using the networks of the Michigan State University (MSU) Native American Institute (NAI), the program will be advertised through the Michigan Consortium Tribal Education Directors and the Michigan Indian Education Council. NAP recruitment efforts will also include the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Michigan Indian Leadership Program (MILP)--a pre-college institute for Native American students.Once admitted into the two-year program, students will be provided with peer mentor support through the Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) MSU chapter, and the MSU North American Indigenous Student Organization. Students will be paired with a faculty mentor based on their interests in agriculture. Faculty mentors will be encouraged to support the professional development of the NAP students through opportunities to shadow faculty research, fieldwork and outreach activities. NAP will sponsor networking events and lectures throughout the academic year. Annually, NAP students will present a capstone poster about their learning experiences at the MSU Indigenous Graduate Symposium. The outcomes of this project will be measured by the number of students declaring majors in CANR programs. The evaluation of NAP will include (1) beginning and end of semester interviews with students and (2) regular surveys of students and faculty mentors.
Project Methods
The evaluation plan employs an iteration-oriented approach, which accounts for the importance of conducting front-end, formative, and summative evaluation throughout the project. These formative and summative evaluation efforts are designed and implemented by Dr. Poitra. The methods of evaluation for the development of the implementation of the program activities will include the use of objective performance measures, related to the intended outcomes of the project--namely, quantitative and qualitative data (i.e., observational, interviews and surveys with participants about their STEM self-efficacy before and after the workshop). The evaluation will be based on NAP inputs activities, outputs, immediate and intermediate outcomes, and long-term outcomes and impacts. Dr. Poitra will also independently collect data, through surveys, interviews, and meetings and observations on issues related to program implementation and outcomes. The data will be analyzed in aggregate and individual responses looking for broad themes and actionable information that results in improved processes and content.Generally, the three phases of the evaluation plan are (1) assessment of the research design, and(2) assessment of the data and analysis in relation to project conditions such as how faculty mentorship and professional development opportunities impact students' interest in agriculture.Each project phase will include ongoing formative assessment to identify components that contribute to the project's goals.Faculty mentors will be a critical component of NAP. The workshops will bring together faculty mentors working in different departments of agriculture. Faculty will apply to be mentors and receive (1) a stipend for their labor and (2) professional development training on mentoring Native students using theHonoring the Whole Student: Developing Space for Native American Students in STEM by Supporting Complex Identitiesworkbook. This workbook, authored by Dr. Poitra, Dr. Kolonich and Dr. Tyler, provides STEM faculty the support and tools needed to reflect on their instructional, mentorship, and teaching practices--individually or within a community of learners. Leveraging the prior work of the PI and Co-PIs on this workbook will enhance the overall impact on faculty practice--which will enhance the student experience in the program. The workbook aims to support STEM faculty to foster a deeper understanding of how to more dynamically support Native American students. The activities in this workbook are intended to generate conversation and reflection about the challenges faced by, and world views of, Native American STEM students.Faculty mentors will engage as a community of learners through bi-monthly working groups and reflection meetings based on the activities outlined in the workbook. At each working group, faculty will be assigned to complete an activity within the workbook and come to the group to discuss their experiences and perspectives. The working groups will be facilitated by Dr. Poitra, Dr. Kolonich and Dr. Tyler. The questions associated with the working groups will be (1) what do faculty need to know to support Native students in agriculture, and (2) how can the instructional and mentorship practices of faculty be enhanced to better support Native student persistence in agriculture? In thinking about the potential of these faculty development activities, it is important to consider (1) how activities in the workbook boost an understanding of diversity, and (2) what is the potential for short-term and long-term action once faculty have completed the workbook. Through the workshop activities, the faculty mentors will be prompted to engage in each of these questions to support their own learning and practice.

Progress 09/15/22 to 09/14/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Our effort requires recruitment of students, several of our members graduated in May 2023. We attended 4 major events with attnedance of over 400 students at each event, and were able to recruit a few interested members. We continued to plan bi-weekly meetings each month, with 2 events for the public to enjoy. Our target is to recruit American Indian, Alaskan Native, Indigenous students with an interest in STEM fields, the organization is open to all. We have identified ourselves under the organization called American Indian Science and Engineering Society and are a registered student organization. Changes/Problems:One problem is recruitment of members, has remained relatively small. We hope to gain new members and have been working on creative ways to accomodate. One effort is allowing hybrid options, for those to connect with the advisors through this mechanism. It's boosted our attendance with the flexibility of hybrid options. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The students met with both myself and my collegue, who serves as an academic advisor and we engage on topics of professionalism, career related advice, job outlook, job application process, interview questions and support/encouragement. When the students attended the AISES National Conference, the students were exposed to representatives from college to national STEM organizations to discuss either graduate school or job opportunities wiht the companies. There were over 500 representatives at the career networking portion of the conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?When the students graduated in May of 2023, there was a graduation booklet published which discussed the accomplishments of the students and future goals of whats next. There were 3 students whom graduated with honors that were a member of the grant/organization. Recently, there was a student spotlight feature on one of the members, who is serving in the president role of the organization. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to provide career related mentoring initatives, bringing in guest speakers and create additional networking opportunities to the students. There will be more conferences for the students to attend as well.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The organziation has provided a system of support, sense of belonging, retention initiatives, connection to community and to their Indigenous roots and career advice/options. The students have been exposed to a number of career professionals in STEM because of the grant/organization initiatives. The students were able to attend the American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference because of the grant, including one of our students was is now a regional representative which provides addtional leadership education. The students networked with STEM and Agricultural companies from around the country, and now have identified pathways of success through the mentoring initaitve. Another goal was to connect career activities through culture whereas there is a project initative of a traditional medicine garden. The garden has been approved by the Department of Horticulture and is being planned to be placed in the gardens on campus. The students and I are continuing to work on this with the Department Chair on implementation including materials needed.

Publications

  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: https://sle.msu.edu/news/msu-chapter-aises


Progress 09/15/21 to 09/14/22

Outputs
Target Audience:I've been working on getting the budget finalized, there were a few gaps in how the grant was originally written. Dr. Rivera was able to get the budget to work over the duration of the grant. We learned that our names were not reflected on the grant therefore we weren't able to make the nessesary changes in the USDA system. Dr. Sorroche is currently recruiting students to be in the program, there is a breif survey students will complete in order to know their goals a mentor. With the information gained from the students, Dr. Sorroche and team will begin matching the students with faculty members. Changes/Problems:We had a major change of leadership within the grant. There were two members of the original team that are no longer working at the university. I was asked to become PI of the grant project then proceeded to learn what the grant was all about. I had to find another co-PI as well since there was one more position to fill. We also found a accountant to help faciitate the monetary end of the grant and someone who has experience facilitating grants like this one. This took several months to achieve and get the proper names on the account, because of the length of time the program was not able to start as quickly as we would've liked. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated to the communities by attendingannual meetings and circulated through email. I attended and facilitated the welcome event for the Indigenous community, where the program was introduced to students, faculty and staff. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next, will be recruiting the students and determining which faculty member will be a good fit. I plan to host a orientation to help facilitate the beginning of the mentor relationship. We also plan to host a mentor traning for faculty if they find it helpful to the match.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The project was advertised through the Michigan Consortium Tribal Education Directors and with Michigan Indian Education Council. The program was also advertised to the students who identify as American Indian.

Publications


    Progress 09/15/20 to 09/14/21

    Outputs
    Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:The pandemic stifled much of the work--resulting in a one-year extension request. The restructuring of the Native American Institute out of the College of Agriculture into the Provost Office has impacted the timeline of the work (see above). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In July 2021, the project team was granted a one-year extension. The one-year extension request came as a result of the pandemic. COVID-19 has directly and indirectly impacted the progress of this project in the following ways: (1) illness, deaths, and hospitalizations among the project leadership team's families, (2) university-wide transition to remote learning, and (3) staffing changes coupled with a university hiring freeze. In August of 2021, the Native American Institute was notified of restructuring. The unit has been moved out of the College of Agriculture into the Provost Office. With this shift, the PI team has decided the work will remain within the College of Agriculture and a new PI will be replaced. Currently, the project is in a positive place to move forward under new leadership with an extension on the work. ?

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Although the pandemic impacted much of the progress of the work, the PI team utilized the time to develop alternative plans to move forward (see below).

    Publications