Source: NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
ENHANCEMENT OF TEACHING, RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FACILITIES AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY (2023)
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031220
Grant No.
2023-45200-41129
Cumulative Award Amt.
$2,469,600.39
Proposal No.
2023-05894
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2023
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2028
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[LS]- Section 1447 Facilities Grants
Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIV
1601 EAST MARKET STREET
GREENSBORO,NC 27411
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The vision of the CAES is to be a premiere learner-centered community that develops and preserves intellectual capital in the food, agricultural, family, and environmental sciences through interdisciplinary learning, discovery, and engagement. The mission of the College is to provide opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to achieve excellence in the food, agricultural, family and environmental sciences through exemplary and integrative instruction, and through scholarly, creative and effective research and Extension programs.Programs in CAES are the tenets upon which this land-grant institution was founded, and the College currently leads the university in research funding. The College's focus on research makes its research faculty the ideal group to help A&T move to the next level in research productivity as the university embarks on the transition from R2 to R1 research classification. To achieve this, the college needs to continue to improve its physical facilities through repair, renovation, and acquisition of equipment and instrumentation. It is essential that CAES offer students, teaching faculty, and research faculty and their staff the best tools and environment for productivity, learning, and creativity. Faculty in all Departments and the Farm often need to modernize equipment and scientific instruments to keep up with fast changing technologies. The 2023 facilities grant will provide funds to update and improve technology needed for research, teaching and extension. Along with advancing the college research capacity, improved facilities and state of the art equipment will strengthen the university's quest for preeminence, advance the tripartite mission, and elevate the CAES and the University to a higher level of research productivity as it transitions to R1 research classification. Improved facilities will also enable faculty and graduate students to conduct cutting-edge research that addresses some of the world's most complex food, agricultural and environmental issues.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
30%
Developmental
40%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90272993100100%
Knowledge Area
902 - Administration of Projects and Programs;

Subject Of Investigation
7299 - Research equipment and methods, general/other;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
Funds made available, per Section 1447 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended NARETPA, P.L. 95-113, and designated within the 2018 Farm Bill, will be utilized for projects which will enhance the capacities and capabilities of Teaching, Research and Extension in the fulfillment of academic excellence, technological advancement and university outreach and engagement. CAES will focus its funds on four broad objectives. There will be an equitable distribution of funding between Teaching, Research and Extension, based upon the prioritized needs of the individual programs.
Project Methods
CAES has a facilities committee that meets monthly to discuss proposed project development and implementation of a project timeline & plan of action.The committee consists of the Facilities Project Manager, CAES Dean, three Associate Deans, Assistant Dean for Administration, Universities Facility Associate Vice chancellor, Farm Superintendent, one staff member assigned to the facilities program.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The beneficiaries of the 2023facilities program will flow down to many including faculty, staff, students and the clientele we serve. The faculty will benefit from modern technology and facilities that will enable them to continue their productivity in research and improve teaching skills and techniques. Our students will benefit from improved teaching of the faculty and access to the latest technology and equipment in the departments teaching and research labs. The clientele we serve will have better support from the extension personnel and demonstration techniques. Students - In meeting the global challenge of a more sustainable food production system, CAES has coalesced and begun to refocus its academic, research and extension faculty, capabilities and resources towards the concept of sustainable agriculture, local and community food systems. Undergraduate and graduate students through both course work and experiential learning activities will be heavily involved in educational, research, extension and outreach developments of such concepts within the complex and student farm. Faculty - Given the increasing global focus of sustainable agricultural practices in locally grown food commodities, it has become increasingly necessary for the CAES to develop new academic programs, curricular and facilities to address this ever growing area of need. Teaching, research and extension professional and para-professionals will be employed and engaged in the development and operation of the Urban and Community Food Complex and student farm as well as in the outreach activities emanating from each. Producers- Many small farmers have ventured into the production of market fresh fruits and vegetables, requiring enhanced marketing, post-harvest handling and product packaging skills. However, very few farmers, especially small, part-time and limited resource farmers, possess the knowledge, skills and (or) capital to finance the development, pilot testing and marketing of a consumer product, goods or service. Extension Agents/Personnel - There exist a unique opportunity to forge a collaborative partnership between producers/small farmers and the research and Extension programs of the university to provide educational assistance in their understanding of and movement towards a more sustainable local and community driven agricultural food system. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported 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?During the next reporting period we will finalize construction of the Urban and Community Food Complex and begin working on other renovation projects.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During this reporting period, the NC State Construction Office reviewed bids and awarded a contract to Monteith Construction to construct the Urban and Community Food Complex facility. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is planning for a sweetreturn on its investments in food science, nutrition and outreach with the Urban andCommunity Food Complex. Located on university's 492-acre farm, the complex isdesigned to be a research and business incubation facility. Included in the nearly15,000-square-foot building will be a sensory lab for conducting consumer research;a post-harvest physiology lab for examining harvested products; a food processinglab, a commercial kitchen, and a food safety lab.But its standout feature will be a creamery, allowing the farm to produce Aggie IceCream for the first time since the 1960s, when the University Farm produced much ofthe food served on campus.On September 13, 2023, NIFA approved the University's requestto use funds from ths award toward the construction of this facility. On Thursday, November 9, 2023 agroundbreaking ceremony was held to celebrate this milestone. Construction has begun and was about 57%complete at the end of the reporting period, August 31, 2024. Construction is anticipated to be complete by the Summer of 2025.

Publications