Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The proposed project aims to foster leadership development for underrepresented students and prepare them to address the critical role the agricultural system plays in the food and fiber industries through participating in various curricular activities including a certificate in Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber, academic track in Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber, course work, workshop, Leadership symposium, research, mentoring, and community engagement. This project aims to improve recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in the food and fiber industries, where the workforce does not fully reflect community diversity. In the food service sector, minorities represent about half of hourly workers but only 31% in management and 8% in corporate roles (Duncan, 2016). Similarly, minority representation in leadership is low in garment and fiber industries, with only half of employees of color feeling that fashion careers are equally accessible (McKinsey & Company, 2022). Nutrition and dietetics show similar disparities, with very low representation among Hispanic, Black, and other minority groups (Robinson, 2020). Industry leaders emphasize that enhancing leadership education for underrepresented students is essential for closing these gaps, fostering diversity, and promoting sustainability in the food and fiber sectors. From Fall 2023 to the end of August in 2024, we have engaged 226 graduate and undergraduate students in our project activities (Total Count). Of them, 101 identify as part of the underrepresented student population (Total Count). Notes: Since there are overlaps with students attending multiple activities, the Unique Count is 181. Of the total Unique Count of students, 82 of them identify as part of the underrepresented student population. Symposium (Spring 2024): 146 students attended the symposium. 66 students identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Leadership Academy: Of the 37 students accepted in the Leadership Academy as of August 31, 2024, 16 identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Track for Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber: 9 students indicated interest in the new track. Two of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Certificate for Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber: 3 students indicated interest in the new certificate at the end of Spring 2024 and plan to take required courses in Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Fall 2025. One of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Seminar in Leadership course (Spring 2024): 23 undergraduate students and 2 graduate students enrolled in the course. 9 of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Study Tour course (Fall 2024): 12 students joined the class in August and met during August on campus. Our first off-campus visit was on 9/6. 5 of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Research Workshop: 8 students attended the workshop. 2 of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Undergraduate Research Fellow: 2 students attended the workshop started as an undergraduate research fellow for 2024-2025 academic period to work on projects related to sustainable food and fiber. Changes/Problems:We hosted the Leadership Symposium in Period 1 instead of Period 2, which deviated from our original plan stated in the proposal submitted. This was to avoid the conflict with another major college event that is planned during Period 2. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through this project, we engaged students in a Leadership Symposium, Leadership Academy (track and certificate), and research workshop during Period 1. Leadership Symposium: On 3/27/2024, we hosted a symposium on transformational leadership in sustainable food and fiber. Lewis Perkins, President of Apparel Impact Institute and Dr. Priscilla Connors, Associate Professor at UNT, to discuss the journey towards a more responsible and ethical food and fashion industry.After the symposium, a seminar and luncheon with a smaller group of students was held to provide an opportunity for students to network and further engage in meaningful discussion in an intimate setting Leadership Academy: Recruitment for students into the Sustainable Track for Leadership Academy was launched in Summer of 2024. Of the 38 students accepted in the Leadership Academy as of August 31, 2024, nine students indicated interest in the new track. Leadership Seminar Course: A seminar course specifically focusing on the sustainable food and fiber industry is designed to offer guest lectures, leadership projects, and case study discussions. The course is developed as a dual numbered course, so both undergraduate and graduate students can enroll. The course examined leadership theory with practical application in the retail and hospitality industries. Featured speakers included, but were not limited to,Ashleigh Griffith,Sustainability Brand Manager at Yum! Brands KFC Division andErin Donovan, Consultant, Fuel Training Founder and Owner of Emerald Farm and Fibers. Speaker topics addressed inclusive leadership, change management, and sustainable practices Research Workshop: A research workshop entitled "Disruptive Research: Toward Circular Market Innovation" was held, 10-noon, April 5, 2024. Fourteen students who participated in the workshop learned the importance of sustainability research and practices and how their research outcomes could be transformed into insightful implications to develop circular market innovations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The result of the research undertaken during Period 1 was presented at a professional conference in Summer 2024. This is a biggest academic conference in the area of food services and restaurants where the faculty and students share their research and innovative pedagogy. K. Yang, J. Kim, C. Crustinger & P. Connors (2024). Empowering Pro-environmental Employee Behavior through Transformational Leadership in the Food Industry: A Three Step Study. Presented at ICHRIE (International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education) 2024, Montreal, Canada. We did have another presentation late in Fall 2024 that will be included in the Period 2 report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Main Goal #1. Increase in the quality and diversity of students through leadership training in the food, fiber, consumer science and nutrition related discipline. Objective #1 Increase in student knowledge in sustainable food and fiber and leadership confidence for those enrolled in the Leadership in Certificate or Leadership Track. Objective #2 Increase in student knowledge in sustainable food and fiber and leadership confidence in the classes (i.e., study tour, managing diverse workforce, leadership seminar, effective leadership communication). Objective #3 Increase in the underrepresented students' leadership confidence after completing focused internship, volunteering and mentoring. Objective #4 Submit student research to academic presentation and journal publications. Objective #5 Increase in students' knowledge on scientific research through the research project and research workshop. According to the data, students who participated in our programs indicate less confidence in their sustainability knowledge related to food and fiber. We plan to revise and improve the programs, so it caters to all different levels of knowledge, especially for undergraduate students. Partner with local organizations to create additional internship and volunteer opportunities tailored to underrepresented students. Develop a mentoring program with alumni to support students' leadership growth. Partner with faculty to identify potential research topics and co-author opportunities for students. We plan to involve student researchers in active presentations internally within the University and also at academic conferences during Period 2. Facilitate hands-on research projects in collaboration with faculty mentors to apply learned skills. Main Goal #2. Increase the number of underrepresented students entering the food, fiber, consumer science and nutrition related discipline by recruiting outstanding students particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups. Objective #6 Increase the number of underrepresented students enrolled in the leadership academy throughout the project period. Objective #7 Increase in interest from the prospective students toward our degree programs assessed through summer workshop. Strengthen recruitment efforts by visiting high schools and community colleges in underserved areas: we plan to meet with Denton Independent School District high school teachers to promote the project and also host a summer workshop for high school students in Summer 2025. Develop follow-up communication strategies to maintain engagement with participants: the participants of the different programs we offered could act as ambassadors of the leadership in sustainable food and fiber project for their peers. We plan to engage them through social media channels continuously. Highlight success stories of underrepresented students in promotional materials to attract prospective applicants: Since this was the first year recruiting specifically for the Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber track/certificate, the number of students joining the track/certificate was not as high as we anticipated in Period 1. Active recruitment of Freshmen and Sophomores will help sustaining the track: For the study tour course in Fall 2024, mainly students who are in their junior/senior year applied as they have gained more knowledge and interest throughout their academic career. However, it would be ideal to recruit more of Freshmen and Sophomores so the engagement in the study tour course can lead the students to get interested in earning the certificate or joining the track. For many of the Juniors and Seniors who took the study tour course, it was too late for them to add more classes in their degree plan for the certificate. Main Goal #3.Strengthen the relationships with the external constituents (e.g., business, peer institutions, government agencies, community, non-profit organizations) to develop a competitive program that encompasses the food and fiber supply chain. Objective #8 Increase traffic in the project webpage throughout the project period. Objective #9 Present the leadership training model in professional organizations to be applied and implemented in other institutions. Increase visibility of the project webpage by implementing an SEO strategy and promoting it via social media. Regularly update the webpage with success stories, program highlights, and upcoming events to attract diverse audiences. We have established relationships with USDA-ARS, USDA and EPA, and plan to further the engagement in Period 2 through guest lectures, visits and research opportunities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The curriculum at many U.S. colleges, including this institution, addresses aspects of production and supply chains but often lacks a cohesive integration of sustainability principles within the food and fiber systems. While individual courses explore elements like agricultural production, supply chain transparency, and sustainability, a comprehensive approach that connects these areas across disciplines remains absent. This gap is seen across fiber, textile, apparel, food, nutrition, and hospitality programs in higher education, where coursework on raw materials and sustainability practices has diminished, especially concerning cotton--a major resource for apparel production. Further, Texas's agricultural education strengths provide a strong foundation, though the Dallas-Fort Worth area currently lacks specialized leadership programs. The need for a unified curriculum that ties leadership and sustainable practices in agricultural production and supply chains has become critical, especially given the growing demand for sustainable farming and the importance of educating students who will work in these industries. To address these needs, our project aligns with the USDA's framework for transforming food systems, focusing on creating resilient food and fiber systems, advancing agricultural innovation, and improving waste management practices. The activities that we provide are designed to enhance workforce knowledge, and better prepare students to engage across the food and fiber supply chain with a robust understanding of sustainable practices and production systems. Under this goal, Leadership Symposium, Leadership Academy (track and certificate), courses, and research workshop, was executed during Period 1, and the team was able to foster leadership and disseminate advanced knowledge on sustainable practices in the food and fiber industries. These activities were performed to meet the following Main Goals. Main Goal #1. Increase in the quality and diversity of students through the leadership training in the food, fiber, consumer science and nutrition related discipline Throughout the first period, we have increased the student knowledge in sustainable food and fiber and leadership confidence through the project activities. The student assessment for the Leadership Symposium indicated that (n=14) started with a low subjective knowledge (average score of 3. 8, scale of 1-5) yet found the workshop to enhance their perceived knowledge and skills (average scores of 4.8, scale of 1-5), motivation (average score of 4.25, scale of 1-5) and found the workshop useful (average score or 6.6, scale of 1-7). The participant assessment after the research workshop (n=7) report that participants started with a low subjective knowledge (average score of 3.2, scale of 1-5) yet found the workshop to enhance their perceived knowledge and skills (average scores of 5.1, scale of 1-5), motivation (average score of 4.4, scale of 1-5) and found the workshop useful (average score or 6.7, scale of 1-7). Two active student research projects were initiated in Summer 2024. The first project aims to explore the issues of textile waste and the textile value chain in the secondhand market. The project's outcomes are accepted to be presented at a professional conference in November 2024 (Details will be reported for Period 2). The second project investigates the role of food industry workers in the reduction of food waste. The second project is in the data collection stage (Details will be reported for Period 2). Main Goal #2. Increase the number of underrepresented students entering the food, fiber, consumer science and nutrition related discipline by recruiting outstanding students particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups. Throughout the first period, we have actively engaged the underrepresented students in the project activities by recruiting outstanding students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups. We engaged a total of 226 graduate and undergraduate students in our project activities (Total Count). Of them, 101 identify as part of the underrepresented student population (Total Count). Notes: Since there are overlaps with students attending multiple activities, the Unique Count is 181. Of the total Unique Count of students, 82 of them identify as part of the underrepresented student population. Symposium (Spring 2024): 146 students attended the symposium. 66 students identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Leadership Academy: Of the 37 students accepted in the Leadership Academy as of August 31, 2024, 16 identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Track for Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber: 9 students indicated interest in the new track. Two of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Certificate for Leadership in Sustainable Food and Fiber: 3 students indicated interest in the new certificate at the end of Spring 2024 and plan to take required courses in Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Fall 2025. One of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Seminar in Leadership course (Spring 2024): 23 undergraduate students and 2 graduate students enrolled in the course. 9 of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Study Tour course (Fall 2024): 12 students joined the class in August and met during August on campus. Our first off-campus visit was on 9/6. 5 of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Research Workshop: 8 students attended the workshop. 2 of them identify as part of an underrepresented student population. Undergraduate Research Fellow: 2 students attended the workshop started as an undergraduate research fellow for 2024-2025 academic period to work on projects related to sustainable food and fiber. Main Goal #3.Strengthen the relationships with the external constituents (e.g., business, peer institutions, government agencies, community, non-profit organizations) to develop a competitive program that encompasses the food and fiber supply chain. During Period 1, we have created collaborative relationships with the following entities. The actual activities with these entities were performed during Period 2, therefore more details on the outcome will be in the Period 2 progress report. Business: Emerald Fiber Farm, FarmHouse Fresh Wells Group- Waterboy Farm, McKinney Roots Farm and Harvest Restaurant Peer institutions: University of District of Columbia and their Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science program, Texas Tech University, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute Government Agencies: USDA NIFA, USDA ARS at Lubbock, EPA Region 6 Office Community: Denton Landfill and Recycling Center
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
K. Yang, J. Kim, C. Crustinger & P. Connors (2024). Empowering Pro-environmental Employee Behavior through Transformational Leadership in the Food Industry: A Three Step Study. Presented at ICHRIE2024, Montreal, Canada.
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