Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN
1201 W. UNIVERSITY DRIVE
EDINBURG,TX 78539-2999
Performing Department
Environ. Earth, Marine Science
Non Technical Summary
The primary purpose of this project is to align the efforts of multiple Hispanic Serving Institutions in southern and central Texas who have ongoing programs for academic development and career attainment of underrepresented groups in fields related to sustainability in agriculture, including soil and water management, horticulture, animal science, and whole farm systems. This consortium of HSIs have agreed to collaborate in specific ways: (1) Enhance the quality of education at HSIs by developing a clear intra-state, multiple-point-of-entry roadmap for high school, associates, bachelors, and masters students interested in FANR-related studies. (2) Facilitate the impactful training of 48 undergraduate and 10 graduate students across the consortium using a assets-based framework that highlights regional opportunities and focuses on cultural-relevant approaches for training across the state of Texas. (3) Strengthen curricula at partnering institutions through cross-institutional exchange, including annual offerings of short courses to be held each summer at either UTRGV or TXST; (4) Prepare students for careers in the globally competitive U.S. agriculture industry by providing student experiential learning opportunities at partnering USDA agencies and other institutions, which will increase technical and professional competencies for cross-sector employability; (5) Enhance the preparation of 40 STEM teachers, faculty and student counselors across the region to effectively integrate agriculture into STEM instruction and heighten awareness of the multiple regional options in education and careers for students in Texas. An external project evaluation will provide annual assessments toward these objectives and will document the impacts and outcomes of the implementation of related activities.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
STARTREC Objectives: Enhance the accessibility of agricultural studies at regional HSIs by developing and disseminating a clear intra-state roadmap for education and careers for students interested in FANR-related studies. We will accomplish this through creation/enhancement of degree articulation agreements among the various programs offered at consortium institutions.Increase the number of FANR-related degrees awarded to underrepresented students. We will measure this by documenting increases in the number of students who successfully matriculate with relevant degrees at each institution. Our aim to support a minimum of 48 undergraduate and 10 graduate students will contribute to this objective.Strengthen curricula at partnering institutions through cross-institutional exchange, including offerings of short courses at UTRGV or TXST each summer, and cross-institutional alignment of curricula and course scheduling to allow for successful and timely matriculation.Prepare students for careers in the scientifically challenging and globally competitive U.S. agriculture industry by providing students experiential learning opportunities at partnering USDA agencies and FANR-relevant institutions (with federal, state, and industry partners).Enhance preparation of 40 STEM teachers, faculty, and student counselors across the region with the objective of better integrating agriculture into STEM instruction and heightening awareness of the diversity of regional options in ag education and careers for students in Texas.
Project Methods
1. Develop a clear intra-state roadmap for students interested in FANR-related training, research, education, and careers. The STARTREC consortium will identify and publicize various education opportunities for students interested in FANR. The creation of a "roadmap," instead of the classic pipeline model that has one point of entry and one exit, includes multiple points of entry and invites the diversity of minority students represented across these institutions (see Figure 1), many of whom are first generation, are re-entry students, have familial responsibilities, have strong regional ties, lack access to transportation, or have other life responsibilities atypical of other students. This roadmap will identify regional options for high school students interested in various college options, career options and training for AS and BS students, or advanced study options that include pursuit of research-based MS degrees. Integral to the roadmap are articulation agreements between consortium partners that will set and/or clarify institutional policy related to admissions, transfer credit, special scholarship opportunities, etc. The full roadmap will be vetted by our Advisory Council, updated regularly, and published on a dedicated website.2: Strategies to Identify and Recruit and retain students: The STARTREC team will work collaboratively with local high schools to recruit eligible students, leveraging our respective budding programs to advertise scholarships and other financial support through websites, social media, conferences (e.g., Small Producers Initiative Conference), and at local area schools. As part of this project, Dr. Gabler will travel to recruitment events across the region to promote STARTREC and the FANR-related offerings at collaborating institutions. He will also develop the 1-page summary version of our "roadmap" targeting students (Figure 1) and oversee its widespread dissemination and publicity in print, web, and social media formats. Applications to STARTREC will be reviewed by PDs, who will select the strongest applicants for interviews based on their academic profile and demonstrated motivation and potential to persist and excel in either agriculture-related degree programs or employment with USDA or related agencies. Preference will be given to STARTREC-supported students interested in advancing their study at partnering institutions.BS students graduating through the STARTREC program will be encouraged to apply for MS programs at collaborating institutions. Candidate graduate student 'interviews' may be conducted at the annual short courses hosted by TXST or UTRGV. Successful applicants must meet graduate admission criteria and demonstrate motivation and fortitude to persevere in higher education and careers in FANR-related sciences.One feature of this program is the close, intensive mentorship that is pledged for each STARTREC student. Close faculty mentorship--including frequent one-on-one consultations and active guidance on course selection, laboratory work, professional preparation, conference travel, and career selection--is one of the strongest predictors of student success. 100% of STARTREC students will receive close mentoring and/or supervision by a PD or partner identified in this proposal, all of whom have extensive experience and demonstrated dedication in mentoring minority students.3. Strengthen curricula at partnering institutions through intra-state partnerships: We aim to accomplish this objective in three modes. First, each year, one partner campus will host other partners in an intensive multi-day visit that involves field trips, discussion, and training focused on FANR issues in the host region. In years one and three, STARTREC and other HSI supported students at ACC, STC, and TXST are invited to UTRGV for a multi-day workshop on the various opportunities for research, learning, and economic development of food and agriculture, including field trips to local farms, discussion with farmers from the region, visits to USDA facilities, and a tour of UTRGV facilities and programs of interest. Specific emphases will be placed on technical and professional competencies identified from a regional study of skills and attributes required for agriculture-related careers in Texas (JFF, 2018).Second, the consortium will collaboratively develop and promote new courses related to FANR and aims to offer some of these simultaneously at each institution. For example, the partner institutions may offer their Introduction to Agronomy courses each year on the same days and times to enable communal participation or teaching via online teleconferencing. We can also begin to coordinate upper-division courses and graduate courses in this way, so as to promote cross-institutional exchange among students, and deeper exploration of locally relevant issues.Third, academic program coordinators from across the consortium will collaborate to better align their program curricula to maximize credit transferability and degree progress for incoming students with credits from consortium members.4 Experiential Learning: Through collaboration with USDA and other partners working across relevant FANR disciplines, we will facilitate opportunities for students to engage in state-of-the-art experiential learning, either as part of courses, or through summer internships that generate credits towards graduation. We have budgeted support to allow students to be embedded and integrated into technically challenging projects and internships across Texas and beyond in a variety of settings, including laboratory, field, and on-farm activities with other related institutions involved in sustainable agricultural systems. Internship opportunities will be advertised widely within the consortium institutions, at area high schools, and through recruitment initiatives and other activities, like relevant conference participation. At least four internships will be facilitated by UTRGV and TXST each summer (16 total), with others offered during the academic year.5. Enhance the preparation of Texas area STEM teachers and student counselors. 40 high school faculty and STEM teachers (10 per year) will be recruited across Texas to participate in a two-day workshop introducing them to various careers and educational opportunities in FANR, technical and professional competencies for students in agriculture, and pedagogical innovations for integrating FANR into the classroom. If permitted, workshops may include visits to USDA facilities and university laboratories but will mostly be offered online facilitated through the UTRGV Office for Professional Education and Workforce Development (PEWD). PEWD will issue continuing education credits for all participants and will establish a participant fee to invite others not supported by this grant. One target audience will be the Counselor Academy for Region One, where hundreds of school counselors convene for training and updates on regional opportunities. A modest stipend for teacher participants is included in the budget.