Transforming Agricultural Education for a Changing World (2009) / Chapter Skim
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6 A Call for Change
6 A Call for Change
Pages 99-120
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From page 99... ...
Following through on the reforms called for in this report will require lasting commitment on the part of many stakeholders -- students, faculty, departments, colleges, universities, industry and other employers, professional societies, farmers and farm organizations, commodity and interest groups, government and other funding agencies, environmental organizations and land trusts, food and environmental justices groups, science education organizations, community and other nongovernmental organizations, and others. All those players will need to participate in the conversation and play important roles in implementing the recommendations.
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From page 100... ...
Need for Institutional Strategic Planning The committee believes that all institutions offering undergraduate education in agriculture should engage in a period of conversation, self-study, and strategic planning -- followed by putting the plan into action. The committee has chosen not to offer prescriptive recommendations for particular actions but instead to motivate attention to general focus areas and to provide examples of the kinds of steps that might be taken.
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From page 101... ...
Conversations should involve a broad array of stakeholders with an interest in undergraduate agriculture education, including fac ulty in and outside agriculture colleges, current and former students, employers, disciplinary societies, commodity groups, local organiza tions focused on food and agriculture, farmers, and representatives of the public. Institutions should develop and implement a strategic plan within the next two years and to revisit that plan every three to five years thereafter.
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From page 102... ...
More radically, institutions may wish to consider whether the current organization of their natural and social science and engineering disciplines in and outside agriculture is most appropriate for today's research and education needs. Although the committee believes that agriculture colleges have a unique and continuing role, it may be appropriate for institutions to consider the organizational structure that is most appropriate for their own setting, as many institutions have already done.
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From page 103... ...
The committee hopes that interdepartmental connections extend far beyond course content and include a greater number of joint faculty appointments, interdisciplinary research and education centers, and structures for
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From page 104... ...
The ability to connect undergraduate education and extension is an opportunity unique to colleges of agriculture; it not only expands the sphere of institutional and statewide extension and outreach but provides a chance for undergraduate students to give back to their communities and become spokespeople for agriculture. RECOMMENDATION 3 Academic institutions should broaden the undergraduate student expe rience so that it will integrate: • numerous opportunities to develop a variety of transferable skills, including communication, teamwork, and management; • the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research; • the opportunity to participate in outreach and extension; • the opportunity to participate in internships and other programs that provide experiences beyond the institution; and • exposure to international perspectives, including targeted learning abroad programs and international perspectives in existing courses.
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From page 105... ...
Two faculty members requested supplements that would support undergraduate research experiences in conjunction with extension. They received matching funds from the state soybean council to organize studies involving undergraduate students and farmers in identifying best practices for reducing run-off.
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From page 106... ...
• cademic institutions and funding agencies should leverage existing A resources or provide additional resources to support the develop ment of new courses, curricula, and teaching materials. Among the needed resources are faculty release time, support for teaching assistants, attendance at education-focused workshops, and use of education materials and technologies.
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From page 107... ...
In addition to providing additional expertise devoted to improving education, the entire educational system benefits by engaging these potential future faculty members in thinking about teaching and learning early in their careers. The committee notes that many of the issues related to faculty development also apply to teachers at the K–12 level.
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From page 108... ...
Although a full vetting of tenure and promotion criteria and institutional priorities is well beyond the scope of this report, the committee offers several suggestions of actions that it believes are essential for improving undergraduate education in agriculture. RECOMMENDATION 5 Several stakeholders should take tangible steps to recognize and support exemplary undergraduate teaching and related activities: • cademic institutions should enhance institutional rewards for high A quality teaching, curriculum development, mentoring and other efforts to improve student learning, including rigorous consideration in hiring, tenure, and promotion.
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From page 109... ...
RECOMMENDATION 6 Academic institutions offering teaching and learning opportunities in food and agriculture should enhance connections with each other to support and develop new opportunities and student pathways. In particular, four-year colleges and universities should further develop their connections with community colleges and with 1890 and 1994 land-grant institutions.
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From page 110... ...
Increasing Connections with Precollege Settings Reform of the role and perception of agriculture is a challenge far beyond the scope of this report, but it is clear that action in this area cannot occur solely in institutions of higher education. The committee believes that there are many opportunities to develop K–12 students' interest in agriculture, including formal academic programs and extracurricular programs, such as 4-H and National FFA.
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From page 111... ...
The state made two awards: one recipient has established a Governor's School in food and agriculture that offers two four-week sessions each summer; the other recipient has developed a series of day-long activities that are offered to high-school classes surrounding its urban location. Increased Permeability Between Academic Institutions and Employers Discussions at the Leadership Summit and elsewhere testify that a cademe and industry operate in largely distinct spheres, although industry is a major employer of food and agriculture graduates.
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From page 112... ...
As a result of the meeting, the business consortium agreed to coordinate a student intern ship program that would enable a cohort of students each semester to do an internship at one of the companies or local NGOs. Sample Implementation: A national organization representing universi ties and one representing companies in food and agriculture partnered to establish a clearinghouse of opportunities for sabbatical research in industry and institutions willing to offer temporary visiting professorships for industry professionals.
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From page 113... ...
The committee hopes that such collaborative opportunities will have important secondary benefits. For example, closer connections between academe and industry may encourage industry to call on academe for assistance in solving industrial challenges; such questions may serve as case studies in undergraduate classes and provide opportunities for undergraduate research.
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From page 114... ...
If agriculture is to be seen as Although the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program solicitation includes several priority need areas -- including curricula design and materials development, faculty preparation and enhancement for teaching, instruction delivery systems, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention -- the current evaluation criteria are quite vague. See |
From page 115... ...
This report is more likely to make it into the hands of faculty and administrators than into the hands of individual students, and the committee calls on colleges and universities to help students to fulfill their responsibilities. That is, we hope that academic institutions pass along the committee's encouragement to their students and engage undergraduate and graduate students as full participants in discussions about teaching and learning.
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From page 116... ...
The APLU Academic Programs Section has been interested in these issues for some time and provided the initial discussions and impetus for this project; the committee hopes that other groups in and especially beyond agriculture colleges will devote the same attention to the reform of undergraduate education in agriculture.
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From page 117... ...
In addition, many of the policies and practices that hamper reform in colleges of agriculture are present throughout the university. The committee hopes that agriculture colleges can lead the way in reforming tenure and promotion practices, implementing active learning, and providing students with greater access to and awareness of career opportunities, but it will be imperative for universities as a whole to address these issues.
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From page 118... ...
Department of Education supports the National FFA Organization, NSF supports research and programs related to undergraduate education, and a variety of private foundations support education and agriculture. Despite that investment, the committee asked whether additional roles could be played by federal agencies and other funders -- roles that could benefit undergraduate education.
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From page 119... ...
All groups should be encouraged to think beyond their individual interests and to focus on the future of the agricultural education enterprise as a whole. If agriculture colleges and disciplines cannot remain vibrant, the future of the entire food and agriculture system is threatened.
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From page 120... ...
If academic institutions, food and agricultural industries, professional societies, and others report on their progress periodically, it will not only continue the momentum but provide constant encouragement of action and reform. The community has already taken steps to continue the conversation of the Leadership Summit.
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