Progress report for EDS23-052
Project Information
Purpose: There is a strong need to create agricultural sciences and technology curriculum for underrepresented students in the state of Arkansas. Approximately 15.3% of Arkansans identify as Black/African American, 7.8% as Latino/Hispanic, 1.81% as Asian or Pacific Islander, .68% as Native American, 2.69% as two or more races, and 2.79% identify as other, yet current student enrollment in an agriculture degree at the primary land-grant institution includes only 2.3% Black students, 7.0% Hispanic/Latino students, .80% American Indian students, 1.3% Asian/Pacific Islander students, and 4.8% Mixed Race. Audience: UA CommUniversity collaborated with UA Bumpers College, UA MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences), AR Junior MANRRS, and Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools to create the annual Arkansas Lighthouse Summer Enrichment Academy (ALSEA) for 30 7th and 8th grade students partnering with Discovery Farms, Crystal Bridges, AR Soul, and other agriculture researchers. Products included: (a) immersive hands-on learning opportunities for students; (b) mentorship opportunities with UA MANRRS, AR Junior MANRRS and K-12 students; and (c) representation with Discovery Farms partnerships and stakeholders owned and operated by African Americans who are considered historically underrepresented, who provided representation in agriculture fields. Impact: The ultimate goal is to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing agricultural degrees and expand the community of diverse agricultural leaders in Arkansas to foster more expansive representation and mentors for future students. AR CommUniversity plays a key role in expanding the state of Arkansas’ capabilities in agricultural research and supporting its land-grant mission.
The overall goal for AR CommUniversity is to increase the number of historically underrepresented students who pursue an agricultural degree with land-grant institutions; in order to do that, the central goals of AR CommUniversity are the:
Goal 1. Creation of high experiential agricultural curriculum programming for K-12 underrepresented students in the Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools Summer Enrichment (ALSEA) program; and bi-yearly tours with Discovery Farms;
Goal 2. Mentorship opportunities in partnership with UA MANRRS and AR Junior MANRRS K-12 students; and
Goal 3. Collaborating with Discovery Farms partnerships and stakeholders owned and operated by African Americans who are considered historically underrepresented, who will provide representation in agriculture fields for K-12 students.
Cooperators
Education
ALSEA program includes high experiential learning (hands-on activities) throughout the 3-day program; including (a) Ice Cream social event to welcome students, (b) on-campus residential housing, (c) touring campus and agriculture facilities and spaces; (d) visiting laboratories on rice, soil, poultry, plants, and more where students are introduced to experimental materials and methods to give them an experience of the fun and excitement of experimental science; (e) visiting with agriculture faculty and UAF MANRRS students (n=30, currently) who serve as mentors for hands-on experiments in labs; (f) touring industry partners such as Tyson Foods Inc. campus (Springdale, AR; located 10 minutes away); (g) touring Crystal Bridges, located in Northwest Arkansas, a public non-profit charitable organization that includes a museum, art collection, five miles of sculpture and walking trails. And finally (h) presenting and awarding students with a science white lab coat and official membership into JR MANRRS, to launch them on their journey towards AGRI-STEM careers.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
In June 2023, twenty 7th and 8th grade underrepresented rural minority (URM) students attended a 3-day camp; 90% of students had never attended an AGRI-STEM program, and after attending the 3-day ALSEA program, 94% left knowing a great deal or a lot about agriculture research, 65% were excited about attending college; over half of students indicated they were interested in a career in AGRI-STEM; 70% indicated ALSEA was “excellent”; 71% rated the lab sessions as excellent, and 71% indicated they would apply for next year’s ALSEA program and all would attend if accepted (see Scales, Wiersma-Mosley, et al., 2023). Flyers are used to recruit, and students (and parents) are required to attend an orientation. ALSEA program includes (a) Ice Cream social event to welcome students, (b) on-campus residential housing, (c) touring campus and agriculture facilities and spaces; (d) visiting laboratories on rice, soil, poultry, plants, and more where students are introduced to experimental materials and methods to give them an experience of the fun and excitement of experimental science; (e) visiting with agriculture faculty and UAF MANRRS students (n=30, currently) who serve as mentors for hands-on experiments in labs; (f) touring industry partners such as Tyson Foods Inc. campus (Springdale, AR; located 10 minutes away); (g) touring Crystal Bridges, located in Northwest Arkansas, a public non-profit charitable organization that includes a museum, art collection, five miles of sculpture and walking trails. And finally (h) presenting and awarding students with a science white lab coat and official membership into JR MANRRS, to launch them on their journey towards AGRI-STEM careers.
Products:
Scales, W., Wiersma-Mosley, J.D., Dilley, K., Bruce, T., Bledsoe, A., Best, S., & Wray, C. (2023). Creating a pathway program through CommUniversity partnerships. The Agriculture Education Magazine, 95(4), 32-34.
Wiersma-Mosley, J.D. (December 2023). Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Panel and Keynote Speaker. Invited panel member and keynote speaker for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agriculture Research Day.
Wiersma-Mosley, J.D. (February 2024). Fulfilling the Land-grant Mission through Cultural Competency. Invited speaker for the National Ag Innovation Agriculture Experiment Station Directors. *National webinar
Project Outcomes
1. Provided summer programming and 1-day field trip, all experiential learning opportunities related to AGRI-STEM for URM students (6-12th graders). 90% of students had never attended an AGRI-STEM program, and after attending the 3-day ALSEA program, 94% left knowing a great deal or a lot about agriculture research, 65% were excited about attending college; over half of students indicated they were interested in a career in AGRI-STEM; 70% indicated ALSEA was “excellent”; 71% rated the lab sessions as excellent, and 71% indicated they would apply for next year’s ALSEA program and all would attend if accepted
2. Collegiate MANRRS students (n=30) served as mentors for JR MANRRS and 6-12th grade students.
There are numerous factors that influence URM rural students enrolling in agriculture programs, including location, other URM peers or mentors, scholarship and financial support, and career exploration of agriculture (Talbert et al., 1997). AR CommUniversity will provide a holistic innovative program in meeting objectives, goals, recruitment, retention, and sustainability for future URM rural student leaders, which includes partnering across community agencies and all major Universities in the state of Arkansas. The goal of our program is to expand the already-existing partnership between UAF and Lighthouse, by including partners across AR, including UAF (NW AR), UAPB (eastern AR), AR Tech (central AR), and AR State (NE AR) to break down location barriers for URM rural students, by serving as regional locations across Arkansas, including other partnerships (Dept of Agriculture in central AR; UADA’s Discovery Farms and NERREC in eastern AR), as well as other URM peers and mentors from all these partnerships who can provide opportunities for scholarships, financial support, other URM peers/mentors, and career exploration of agriculture.