Transforming Agricultural Education for a Changing World (2009) / Chapter Skim
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5 Extending Beyond the University:External Partnerships to Effect Change
5 Extending Beyond the University:External Partnerships to Effect Change
Pages 77-98
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From page 77... ...
Stakeholders in undergraduate agricultural education include employers outside the education sector who are interested in the "products" of the nation's colleges and universities. Companies, public agencies, and other organizations that seek to hire college graduates well trained in agricultural disciplines have an obvious interest in improving education.
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From page 78... ...
Over the years, a number of highly successful K–12 and other precollege programs have provided students and teachers with firsthand knowledge of the broader educational and career opportunities in the agricultural sciences. Several of the most prominent such programs have been developed or supported, at least in part, by colleges and universities.
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From page 79... ...
Although there are often some connections to colleges and universities, higher-education institutions are not especially well represented among the programs' partners; this suggests that there are additional opportunities for university faculty to be engaged in developing materials and in working with K–12 teachers in faculty development and implementation. The federal government has recognized the value of connecting K–12 students to agriculture.
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From page 80... ...
Department of Agriculture (USDA) ; its goal is "to help students gain greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society, so that they become citizens who support wise agricultural policies." AITC is regarded as a flexible educational program designed to supplement and enhance teachers' existing curriculum by providing teaching materials, strategies, interactive exer cises, helpful links, and awards for excellence in teaching about agriculture.
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From page 81... ...
Such organizations as the Virginia Farm Bureau and the Virginia Agribusiness Council recognized that an agricultural governor's school would be a tool to develop gifted and talented students' knowl edge of the food and fiber system, recruit students to study agricultural sciences in higher education, and motivate them to pursue careers in the industry. The Depart ment of Agricultural Extension Education in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the administrative body for the school, and the department's faculty and staff develop the curriculum and activities (Cannon et al.
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From page 82... ...
Many of these programs are targeted at members of underrepresented minorities. Even briefer, the Iowa Agricultural Youth Institute brings Iowa highschool sophomores, juniors, and seniors together for a four-day retreat on agricultural career opportunities and issues facing Iowa and U.S.
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From page 83... ...
The 4-H network, for example, claims to reach nearly 6.5 million young people through locations in all 50 states and territories and makes connections to higher education through programs at more than 100 land-grant institutions. FFA, founded in 1928 as Future Farmers of America, reaches over 500,000 members 12–21 years old through over 7,000 local chapters. More than one-third of FFA members live in urban and suburban areas, and there are chapters in 11 of the 20 largest cities in the country. There are also programs that specifically expose minority-group students to educational and career opportunities in the agricultural sciences, including the precollege outreach program of the National Society of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences -- Junior MANRRS -- and the Retired Educators for Youth Agriculture Program, which bridges minority-group youth and agriculture professionals in Oklahoma.
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From page 84... ...
Connecting Two- and Four-Year Institutions It is increasingly common for students to enroll in community colleges instead of beginning their undergraduate study at four-year institutions; community colleges now enroll nearly half of all U.S. undergraduates, including 47% of black and 55% of Hispanic undergraduates. To interest those students in possible careers in food and agriculture, it will be essential for community colleges to offer programs in agriculture and to facilitate the transfer of community-college students into four-year agricultural degree programs.
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From page 85... ...
noted the need for improvements in developing articulation agreements for program majors and for the inclusion of private institutions in statewide agreements. Articulation agreements are beginning to play a role particularly in teacher education: universities are strengthening partnerships with community colleges to prepare elementary-school and secondary-school teachers (Zirkle et al.
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From page 86... ...
The TAMUC–CCCCD partnership provides a venue for people working toward certification through the community college to be awarded graduate experiential credit toward a master's degree that is not traditionally awarded to students taking courses at community colleges. One essential element of the success of the partnership is a mutual commitment of each institution that outlines several criteria, such as enrollment requirements and use of classroom space and educational-technology equipment.
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From page 87... ...
. By the 1980s, community colleges and the three state universities had signed articulation agreements that allowed any person who had earned an associate in arts degree at an Iowa community college to enter a state university with junior status in the college of liberal arts.
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From page 88... ...
299) argued that "community colleges occupy a unique position within a network of educational institutions that enable them to work with both high schools and 4-year universities." By instituting and publicizing transfer partnerships, especially partnerships that include all three educational sectors, two-year colleges can become the central agency to assure students a seamless transition from secondary school to college degree (James et al.
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From page 89... ...
However, those activities have largely been isolated from undergraduate education, and students rarely have the opportunity to participate despite longs tanding agreement about the benefits that students gain from internships, p racticums, service learning, and cooperative educational experiences -- See |
From page 90... ...
The committee is enthusiastic about applied learning experiences for many reasons. They can challenge students to apply theory to practice, provide experience in solving complex problems, offer opportunities for communication to a variety of audiences, and build skills in negotiation and conflict resolution with diverse stakeholders.
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From page 91... ...
. Others can connect students with those concerned with environmental impact, such as the Green Lands, Blue Waters Project described at the summit, which promotes multifunctional agriculture in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (see Box 5-9)
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From page 92... ...
Many universities with agriculture and natural-resources departments offer similar student farm experiences. increasing public consciousness about agriculture and offer opportunities to engage precollege students in agriculture-related activities.
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From page 93... ...
The educational partnership involves formal coursework at affiliated institutions and summer internships in which undergraduate students in several disciplines are placed in a variety of enterprise development settings. Academic coursework at the University of Minnesota includes service-learning courses on the ecology of agricultural systems that incorporate systems thinking and an extensive service learning project (Jordan et al.
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From page 94... ...
The connections provide abundant benefits in enriching student experiences, enhancing career placement, and improving program quality. Partnerships at the faculty level can help faculty to understand the changing needs of industry, make connections with industry scientists, and learn real-world examples that can be taken back to the classroom.
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From page 95... ...
The core academic programs gain interesting guest lecturers, bring successful graduates to the campus at the company's expense, and motivate students with the opportunity of well-paying and well-supervised summer internships that help them to compete for challenging first jobs. The company benefits by having access to high-quality students, building relationships with the students, and being able to hire outstanding young professionals who already know a lot about the company and can make wise decisions when they accept offers so that they are likely to remain with the company.
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From page 96... ...
Opportunities for University Faculty and Agriculture Professionals University professors and food and agriculture professionals operate largely in different spheres. Although there are certainly some people who have moved between industry and academe, there are many benefits of increased permeability between various sectors.
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From page 97... ...
Box 5-12 describes a program at the Massachusetts Insti BOX 5-12 The Industrial Liaison Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Industrial Liaison Program (ILP)
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From page 98... ...
Programs could also be developed that would enable graduate students to spend a semester or year working and studying in another country. The international connections resulting from such exchanges will last for decades as graduate students launch their faculty careers with a personal understanding of the importance of international perspectives.
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