Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
The project's goal is to build capacity at two Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), UConn Waterbury (UConnW) and UConn Stamford (UConnS) by recruiting, training, and graduating students in fields of Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences (FANH). This goal is ultimately driven by industry's need to build a diverse, highly trained, and skilled workforce within these professions. The intended beneficiaries are undergraduate students at both HSIs. To meet our goal, we have three objectives: 1) Develop a scholarship portfolio to recruit, retain, and support timely graduation of underrepresented students at UConnW and UConnS in the areas of FANH. 2) Develop experiential learning opportunities for HSI students to gain applied career experience, and in some cases research experience, while supporting the needs of the community. 3) Provide an inclusive and supportive environment through the development of programs (cultural academic, research, and career development) at UConnW and UConnS, with specific emphasis on underrepresented student support and belonging in FANH. These objectives align with USDA's goals to engage, recruit, and train the next generation workforce for FANH careers. Through widespread university support, the commitment of dozens of community partners, and development of innovative courses on FANH career pathways, our program's impact will yield 150 internship opportunities and two cohorts of undergraduate graduating classes. Ultimately, we expect to increase student awareness of FANH and USDA careers, generate excitement for these professions, increase recruitment and retention of students in FANH fields, and establish a pipeline for underrepresented minorities into FANH fields at both HSIs.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Goals:1. Address the urgent need for a diverse, highly trained skilled workforce in Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences (FANH) professions by recruiting, retaining, and graduating career-ready college students, prioritizing those with financial need and under-represented minorities (URMs).2. Build capacity at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), UConn Waterbury (UConnW) and Stamford (UConnS) to recruit, train, retain, and graduate students in FANH, contributing to the UConn system's ability to significantly increase the preparedness of a number of graduates entering the FANH workforce (in particular the federal sector, e.g., USDA), and pursuing graduate studies in FANH disciplines.Objectives:1. Develop a scholarship portfolio to recruit, retain, and support timely graduation of under-represented students at UConnW and UConnS campuses in the areas of FANH.2. Develop experiential learning opportunities for UConnW and UConnS students to gain applied and career development skills and in some cases research, while supporting needs of the community in FANH, and related workforce development.3. Develop programs - cultural, academic, research, and career development, at UConnW and UConnS to improve student retention, provide an inclusive and supportive environment, and facilitate a possible transition to Storrs campus.
Project Methods
The evaluation plan presented in Table 6 in the proposal uses a mixed-method approach. The evaluation ecosystem (EE) includes students, program team, administrators, external advisory board, administrative committee, and steering committee. Feedback from the EE will be used to inform programmatic change during the life cycle of the project.To evaluate the NEXTGEN program, we will conduct both formative and summative assessments using an inclusive approach to ensure the information is meaningful to the intended users including project team and external stakeholders. Involvement of stakeholders in an evaluation process enhances its credibility and use. We will also use an interrupted time-series design with nonequivalent groups (participating URM students and non-participating URM students in FANH and select interview participants through stratified random sampling to minimize bias.Baseline data on both groups will be collected and used to monitor progress and inform program improvement to achieve desired outcomes using valid and reliable evaluation tools that include demographic characteristics, prior experience, interest, and knowledge and skills of major program elements (e.g., internships, research, advising and mentorship, career development activities, cultural oriented activities, and community and academic engagement). We will conduct social interviews of project participants to triangulate with the survey data. The performance measures (described in the Logic Model in the proposal) will be collected throughout the project to produce annual project performance reports, which will be shared with the evaluation ecosystem to support student learning and program improvement. The primary mechanism for feedback from the evaluator will be via written reports followed by team meetings to which all stakeholders will be invited.Summative evaluation will also focus on the output measures but mainly on the outcomes/impact measures of the project including change of attitudes, knowledge/skills, behaviors, and conditions (described in the Logic Model in the proposal). The summative evaluation will help determine the extent to which the project achieves the desired outcomes or impacts and will occur at the end of the project. We will use consistent evaluation tools to understand changes in patterns over time. We will also evaluate how the proposed NEXTGEN program added value to academic programs and shaped institutional practices and policies. Multiple sources of evidence will reduce bias and further improve stakeholder confidence in the evaluation findings. The development of the questionnaires will include the following steps: search of related literature review, question framing, and content validation to ensure content adequacy and relevance of the questionnaires. Once the questionnaires are developed, the interviewers and surveyors will receive appropriate training to ensure consistency and minimize bias in the data collection process.