Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
The overarching goal of the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) NextGen Program is to increase the number of students prepared to meet industry needs in agriculture, food, and natural resource fields. This will be accomplished by improving student supports, eliminating potential barriers to success, and providing innovative learning experiences that will increase linkages for students to the college and to the agriculture field while improving the job readiness of agriculture, food, and natural resource students across the region.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Objective 1: Provide direct and indirect support to 400 plus NextGen students. Activity 1: Provide partial and full direct scholarships to studentsActivity 2: Wrap-around student support services for NextGen students.Objective 2: Connect 600 high school students directly with the College of Southern Idaho agriculture, food, and natural resource programs and career pathways. Activity 3: A directed marketing plan to improve awareness of CSI Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource ProgramsActivity 4: Expand, develop, and implement new Career Academies for high school studentsActivity 5: Hire and establish the necessary NextGen Personnel including the NextGen Program Manager and the NextGen Program Liaisons and Career Academy SpecialistsObjective 3: 200 students will reach completion at CSI and/or transfer to a four-year school Activity 6: Ongoing case-management and job search support for NextGen students
Project Methods
Activity 1: Provide partial and full direct scholarships to students - In order to directly assist NextGen students who participate in the Southern Idaho NextGen Program 50 students per year will be awarded $3,500.00 ($1,750.00 per semester, as the student continues to meet expectations) scholarship to assist with tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other assistance necessary to support them in completing their first year of college. Financial eligibility will be determined through application to the NextGen Program Manager and Program Stakeholder's Committee and students will be required to major in one of the identified pathways. In addition to the first-year scholarship, NextGen students will be eligible to apply for one of 15 on-campus housing stipends that will cover the cost of one year of room and board ($5,000.00). The first-year scholarships and housing stipends will be administered though the CSI Foundation and their established scholarship process. The management of this activity will be a coordinated through the CSI Foundation Executive Director, by the NextGen Program Manager, and the CSI Grant Accountant.Activity 2: Wrap-around student support services for NextGen students - The Southern Idaho NextGen Program will provide a well-balanced and comprehensive set of services in the student affairs arena. Mottet (2019) speaks to the need for these services, indicating that may students struggle with basic daily needs, making long-range commitments challenging for them. Unfortunately, the need for these services has been compounded by the events surround the COVID-19 Pandemic. The NextGen Program seeks to directly assist students and families in meeting these needs by connecting students to current resources and augmenting those resources in specific areas. The NextGen Program wrap around services will include: transportation; mental health services; textbook services; language access services; and, community services and referrals. The management of this activity will be a coordinated through CSI Student Services by the NextGen Program Manager, and the CSI Grant Accountant.Activity 3: A directed marketing plan to improve awareness of CSI Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Programs and to direct students to NextGen Career Academies - The Southern Idaho NextGen Program will work with partner high schools in the recruitment of agriculture, food, and natural resource students. The NextGen Program will recruit students across the region and state by implementing a marketing and recruitment plan to encourage individuals (especially those who are bi-lingual/bicultural) to apply. The recruitment and marketing plan includes the following components: (1) Focused direct mail campaigns to parents and families who have students in the partnering high schools, and; (2) Directed social media advertising focused on overall knowledge and recognition for the agriculture, food, and natural resources programs at CSI.This activity will be directly supervised and supported by the NextGen Program Manger under the supervision of the Program Director. Additionally, progress and supervision will be provided by the NextGen Stakeholders Committee which will meet quarterly.Activity 4: Expand, develop and implement new Career Academies for high school students - Beginning in the Summer of 2021, CSI Workforce Development and Training began a pilot program to develop Career Academies in Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Cybersecurity. The academies were developed to help regional K-12 students make an early connection to high need industry career options that pay a living wage or better. The summer academies are similar to more traditional bridge programs but with a specific career and industry focus.In 2021 the pilot academies served 114 students (75 male and 39 female). In 2022 the academies grew to serve 123 students (82 male and 41 female). The pilot program has been tremendously successful across industry, community, and academic partners. The Southern Idaho NextGen Program seeks to expand both the breadth and depth of the Career Academy Pilot in the following ways:Southern Idaho NextGen Program 8• Increase the number of students who can be served by the established Career Academies in Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Cyber Security (as it relates to agribusiness) by expanding the academies two times each during the summer.• Add a new specialized Career Academy in Agriculture and Diesel Mechanics.• Expand the locations at which Career Academies are offered by providing Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Cyber Security Academies not only at the Twin Falls campus but also at the CSI outreach center in Burley.The NextGen Program Manager, and the NextGen Liaisons will be directly responsible for management of the career academies with the support of the NextGen Program Manager and the NextGen Stakeholders Committee.Activity 5: (Hire and establish the necessary NextGen Personnel including the NextGen Program Manager and the NextGen Program Liaisons and Career Academy Specialists) - In order to provide sufficient support, the Southern Idaho NextGen Program will hire two regional NextGen Liaisons and Career Academy Specialists who will provide direct recruiting and liaison services at the nine participating high schools during the school year while providing the necessary support for the career academies during the summer months. These full-time positions will be hired during the first quarter of the first year of the program.Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in business management, or educational area, or equivalent experience; minimum of three years of experience with federal and/or state grant funded projects; knowledge and understanding of budgets, spreadsheets, accounting and bookkeeping practice; experience supervising project and team activities; bilingual/bicultural; and, the ability to travel as necessary, as there is significant travel associated with this position. The hiring process will be supervised by the NextGen Program Director, CSI Human Resources Department, and the NextGen Stakeholder's Committee.Activity 6: Ongoing case-management and job search support for NextGen students - In order to support and retain students to completion, the NextGen Program will establish a coordinated case management system where each student will receive individual support throughout their time at the college. These services are designed to improve NextGen students' wellbeing, improve student engagement, increase academic performance, and address familial issues or concerns.The NextGen program will use the following three-step case management process, based upon the recommendations of the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association:• Step 1: Create a system for connecting students with a designated staff member for 1:1 support. The initial 1:1 session will collect holistic information focused on student needs and to develop a plan of action• Step 2: Build and utilize a network for internal and external referrals - The case management process will connect students to the wrap-around services provided as part of the Southern Idaho NextGen Program with referrals to CSI mental health services, disability testing services, local food banks, (like CSI's own Gilbert's Pantry), childcare, transportation, etc.• Step 3: Draw upon larger support networks - When new or unique challenges arise, the NextGen Program will utilize internal and external support networks including the members of the NextGen Stakeholder's Committee.