Session moderated by Lance Stott

Presentation 1 - Mentoring Multicultural Scholarship Recipients
Jaclyn Donna Kropp    
University of Florida

Over 25,000 annual jobs openings for graduates with bachelor's or higher degrees in agriculture and related fields are projected to be in management and business. To help meet this need while also increasing the diversity of department and, ultimately, the agricultural workforce, we recently received a Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support ten undergraduate students who transferred into the department after completing their A.A. degree or equivalent coursework.  Scholarship recipients receive a $13,000 stipend and an additional $2,000 to support an experiential learning opportunity such as study abroad, faculty-guided research experience, or internship. In addition to financial support, scholarship recipients receive theory-based mentorship from the MSP coaching team consisting of the project directors and departmental advisor and through the newly implemented departmental peer-mentoring program. The MSP programming is designed to support multicultural transfer students throughout their transition from a smaller institution to a large land-grant university and to encourage the development of career-ready professional skills. In our presentation, we will present the four theories at the heart of the programming (Schlossberg's Transition Theory, Schlossberg's Theory of Mattering and Marginality, Astin's Theory of Involvement, and Sanford's Theory of Challenge and Support) and link these theories to various program activities. We will also reflect on successes and challenges faced in designing and implementing the program such that individuals at peer institutions seeking funding to support multicultural students or developing mentoring programs for multicultural transfer students can learn from our experiences.
 

Presentation 2 - Agriculture Education Programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)    
Brandon Thompson    
Auburn University    

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established in the mid-19th century with the purpose of educating African Americans who were not allowed to attend predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Out of these HBCUs, 19 were designated as Land Grant Institutions (LGI) through the Second Morrill Land Grant Act of 1890, with the mission to promote research, extension, and teaching of food and agricultural sciences. The National Future Farmers of America Organization (FFA) and the New Farmers of America (NFA) were also founded in the early 20th century to encourage secondary students to pursue agriculture. However, after the 1965 "merger" of NFA into FFA, the number of LGIs with agricultural education programs declined, while PWIs experienced stable or increased enrollment numbers. Studies show that teacher education is crucial in encouraging students to pursue agricultural education, and there is a significant lack of African American agriculture education teachers. In 1995, Talbert and Larke found that only 2% of agriculture students in Texas had an African American agriculture teacher, while 5.9% of African American students were taught by one. This highlights the need for role models who look like the students to make them feel comfortable pursuing agriculture education. The objective of this study is to explore the role of agricultural education in the recruitment of students into agriculture at the 19 1890 LGIs. The study found that while almost all 1862 LGIs have an agricultural education program, only 42% of 1890 LGIs do. This presents a crucial area for improvement and affects the recruitment of minority students to agriculture. The research recommends forming partnerships with community, HBCUs, and PWIs to re-establish these programs and increase opportunities for agriculture education at HBCUs.
 

Presentation 3 - Contribution of Race and Agriculture Courses in Promoting Intercultural Competency Among Undergraduate Students    
Theoneste Nzaranyimana    
Kentucky State University    

In an increasingly multicultural global workforce, higher education institutions are working hard to make sure students graduate and leave institutions with adequate cultural competence skills. From field to fork, the production and consumption of food, fiber and natural resources are often associated with issues of structural racism. Agriculture students should be able to empathize with those issues as they enter a globalized industry, work with people from different cultures throughout their careers, and navigate perspectives different from their own. In an attempt to support students in acquiring skills that can help them successfully navigate an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, a series of three 1-credit courses were developed that focused on empathy, self-awareness and curiosity towards other cultures. These are components of the AAC&U Intercultural Knowledge and Competence VALUE rubric, which is used to evaluate knowledge, skills, and attitudes of intercultural competence. A sample of 14 students (N=14) who self-selected enrollment in the three new courses during the spring semester of 2022, participated in a pre- and post- survey questionnaire to evaluate cultural competence. Weekly reflections from students were analyzed, and themes aligned with three courses objectives. Survey results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between pre (M=4.73, s.d.=0.38) and post (M=5.20, s.d.=0.30) course completion (t=-5.65, p=.001). Students' narratives from weekly reflections showed that upon completion of the courses, students' empathy, curiosity and self-awareness towards other cultures and races improved. This study showed that intercultural courses taught in the context of agriculture can function as a means of not only providing new knowledge and strengthening students' prior cultural knowledge, but can also assist in developing intercultural competency skills that can enable them to navigate a global multicultural environment in their future. Additional data is being collected with the 2023 student cohort to build upon these results.
 

Presentation 4 - Being Black, Teaching Black: A Reflection of Two Black Women Instructors Teaching Agricultural Education DEI Courses    
Torrie Cropps    
University of Texas at Dallas    

According to The National Research Council, there is an increased need for Agricultural and Life Sciences (AgLS) to focus on producing a "globally competent" workforce that is sufficiently able to interact with diverse populations and solve the 21st century grand challenges by increasing the numbers of marginalized people in AgLS. Consequently, Colleges of Agriculture have been working to integrate multicultural education and training into program requirements. Despite recent efforts to increase diversity in agricultural higher education, racially minoritized representation at Historically White Institutions is still minimal. Moreover, the less diverse the faculty in AgLS, the less likely courses will include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in any form despite research that has suggested that DEI courses will broaden the experience of all students enrolled in AgLS programs. This further accentuates the desire of the only or few Black students or faculty being more inclined to push for DEI in the AgLS classroom. The purpose of this study is to illuminate the experiences of Black women graduate instructors as they developed curriculum and taught DEI issues in agricultural education departments at Historically White Institutions. The theory that framed the study was Black Feminist Thought and duoethnography was the methodology. Concluding analysis, we found three themes across their experiences: (1) Broadening Perspectives in Agriculture, (2) The Heavy Duality of Representing Blackness and Diversity, and (3) Empowerment and Affirmation. The results of this study offer compelling instances that speak to the ebb and flow Black women experience not only teaching but also existing in predominantly white spaces. Our study supports and exemplifies the value of the experiences and feelings of Black women in agricultural education and could provide insight toward helping understand their lack of representation.