Academic literature on the topic 'Agriculture colleges in NEP'

Current demographics indicate that populations of color are on the rise across the United States. Although enrollments of students of color are increasing, first year retention rates are lower compared to their peers. Consequently, systemic changes are needed to produce changes in services and programs required by these students. Despite the modest gains in enrollment, students of color remain underrepresented at every degree level in higher education. Despite volumes of research, institutions still disregard the seriousness of the problem and continue to address retention with isolated programmatic approaches to change administrative, instructional, and advising practices with little evaluation. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument assessing the organizational readiness of state and land-grant universities to retain students of color in colleges of agriculture as well as determine what definitions of retention were used to support existing retention programs and services. Since state and land-grant institutions previously engaged in retention strategies, an ex post facto study was conducted. A census of the population was conducted, where close to half of the population responded and expressed interest in seeing study results. State and land-grant colleges were selected as participants due to their unique inability to reach higher than average retention rates of students of color, specifically in agricultural fields. Statistical tests such as t-tests and analysis of variance were used to analyze data and further refine the instrument. Reliability for each of the instrument scales was high. However, further refining must be done before the instrument will more precisely indicate where gaps are in each readiness area in colleges of agriculture. This study determined that more information is needed on which definitions of retention are used to support programs and services within the college. Further investigation should be done to ascertain why more organizational diagnostic assessments are not done in this area considering the fiscal impacts on priorities such as retention. Although respondents indicated satisfaction with the college of agriculture to meet the academic needs of students, departmental administrators and faculty were still unclear of their role with retention. These findings indicate more research in this area should be conducted.

With each new cohort of directors entering the field of alumni relations in agriculture, a pattern emerges. They often are not adequately prepared to assume the responsibilities of the position. There is a perception that attention to detail and event planning skills are sufficient qualifications to manage an alumni volunteer program successfully. Managing the people and activities involved with the programs in the ever-growing field of alumni relations requires much more than event planning know-how. Implementing impactful alumni engagement programs requires knowledge of leading and managing programs, budgets, and people, specifically volunteers. Alumni engagement involves extensive communication skills and, depending on the institution, knowledge of board organization procedures As we all strive to advance agriculture, we must put in place qualified individuals to engage our alumni and stakeholders, specifically volunteers. Are there programs in place to provide training for the candidates selected? Are resources readily available that provide good practices for these individuals to follow as they build their alumni volunteer programs? Although there is a demand for more rigorous and sophisticated professional practice, there continues to be a gap between research and practice in the field of volunteer administration (Seel, 2013). Resources available for volunteer managers are often how-to manuals with practical suggestions and approaches (Fisher and Cole, 1993). Associations such as the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association (NAADA), and BoardSource® provide opportunities for networking with colleagues through conferences and online resources. Still, these are often costly and fragmented with regard to the presentation of content. The purpose of the study was to examine how alumni relations professionals are prepared to carry out their roles and responsibilities as administrators of alumni engagement programs and volunteers in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions. The study sought to describe good practices for support, training, communication, and volunteer management that can be utilized by new members of the field and seasoned veterans alike. Thirteen current alumni relations professionals in agriculture at land-grant institutions who are members of NAADA were interviewed. Job descriptions were reviewed prior to each interview. Interviews were transcribed by TranscribeMe, Inc., analyzed using a form of whole text analysis with open coding. Common codes were merged to develop the themes. Research Questions 1. How do alumni directors administer alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? 2. What skills should alumni directors bring to their positions upon employment? 3. How do alumni directors identify individuals or groups to connect to in order to accomplish their goals? 4. How do alumni directors identify and implement communications strategies to make successful connections to use with individuals and/or groups? 5. How do alumni directors continue to improve their skills and knowledge to meet their job expectations related to administering alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? Through a thematic analysis of the data, the following themes emerged: management of volunteer boards; management of general volunteers; perceptions of alumni directors; engagement with alumni, faculty, and students through events and programs; partnerships with university-level advancement and college leadership; communications tools; and professional development. Overall, the findings were not surprising other than lack of knowledge of volunteer management models or prior experience in volunteer management. Participants who had the support of leadership, who arrived to their positions with at least some background working with volunteers, and those who were willing to try new tactics to engage volunteers set an outstanding example of how success is possible in the role of an alumni director. Communications is a powerful tool for all alumni directors but can also be a significant challenge. Participants who expanded their definition of "volunteer" beyond alumni to include faculty, staff, and students appeared to have better-developed strategies to engage, empower, and lead individuals. Participants who partnered with colleagues in academic programs were better positioned to engage students in programming, find student volunteers and interns to assist in their efforts, and create and maintain stronger connections as they become young alumni. Seven key good practices can be elevated from the data: 1. Familiarize with volunteer management models to understand how and why people are motivated to volunteer and develop skillsets and tactics to recruit, train, retain, and recognize volunteers 2. Empower volunteers to develop their own mission and goals, strategize their plan of work, and lead the execution of their programs and organization 3. Expand the definition of "volunteer" 4. Build collaborative partnerships across the team, college and university 5. Develop innovative approaches and partnerships to engage students 6. Expand professional development resources 7. Advocate for yourself and your program After interviewing thirteen alumni relations professionals, it was clear that those land-grant institutions have passionate, volunteer-centric professionals who diligently work every day towards the mission and goals of the colleges they serve. But there is much work to be done to create an environment that is more supportive of them. Efforts should be made to help college and university leadership better understand the qualifications required for alumni relations positions, elevate alumni engagement and volunteers' impact, and provide more targeted professional development opportunities.<br>Master of Science in Life Sciences<br>Good practices of alumni relations professionals leading engagement programs and volunteers in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions contribute to the advancement of agriculture. The purpose of the study was to examine how alumni relations professionals are prepared to carry out their roles and responsibilities as administrators of alumni engagement programs and volunteers in colleges of agriculture at land-grant institutions. The study sought to describe good practices for support, training, communication, and volunteer. Thirteen current alumni relations professionals in agriculture at land-grant institutions who are members of the National Alumni and Development Association (NAADA) were interviewed. Research Questions: 1. How do alumni directors administer alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? 2. What skills should alumni directors bring to their positions upon employment? 3. How do alumni directors identify individuals or groups to connect to in order to accomplish their goals? 4. How do alumni directors identify and implement communications strategies to make successful connections to use with individuals and/or groups? 5. How do alumni directors continue to improve their skills and knowledge to meet their job expectations related to administering alumni engagement programs and associated volunteers? Participants who had the support of leadership, who arrived to their positions with at least some background working with volunteers, and those who were willing to try new tactics to engage volunteers illustrated success in the position. Communications, while a powerful tool for all alumni directors, was often a significant challenge. Participants who expanded their definition of "volunteer" beyond alumni to include faculty, staff, and students appeared to have better-developed strategies to engage, empower, and lead individuals. Participants who partnered with colleagues in academic programs were better positioned to engage students in programming, find student volunteers and interns to assist in their efforts, and create and maintain stronger connections as they become young alumni. Seven key good practices identified: 1. Familiarize with volunteer management models to understand how and why people are motivated to volunteer and develop skillsets and tactics to recruit, train, retain, and recognize volunteers 2. Empower volunteers to develop their own mission and goals, strategize their plan of work, and lead the execution of their programs and organization 3. Expand the definition of "volunteer" 4. Build collaborative partnerships across the team, college and university 5. Develop innovative approaches and partnerships to engage students 6. Expand professional development resources 7. Advocate for yourself and your program Participants were passionate and volunteer-centric, diligently working every day towards the mission and goals of the colleges they serve. But there is much work to be done to create an environment that is more supportive of them. Efforts should be made to help college and university leadership better understand the qualifications required for alumni relations positions, elevate alumni engagement and volunteers' impact, and provide more targeted professional development opportunities.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept of Higher, Adult, Lifelong Education, 2008.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Aug. 19, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 182-194). Also issued in print.

Due to an impending STEM shortage facing the United States, it is critically important that students of color are recruited to scientific disciplines. This STEM shortage affects agricultural fields, as many agricultural disciplines are scientifically based. There is currently a lack of students of color within agricultural disciplines when compared to the increasingly diverse make-up of the United States. This qualitative study utilizes the path-goal theory of leadership (House, 1971) and reasoned action theory (Fishbein and Azjen, 2010) to examine the perceptions of administrators regarding the barriers that students of color face within colleges of agriculture at 1862 land-grant institutions. Another important purpose of this study is to identify strategies that department heads, deans, and administrators within colleges of agriculture can use to increase the recruitment and retention of students of color. The study utilized phenomenology, as this method focuses on participants' subjective experiences and interpretations of the world. Eighteen participants at 17 institutions were interviewed about their perceptions of diversity, the barriers that students of color face within colleges of agriculture, and strategies for success. The findings of this study reveal that (1) diversity is a multifaceted and evolving concept that varies from individual-to-individual, (2) students of color face barriers to access, (3) successful recruitment and retention strategies for students of color require investments from administrators, and (4) data validates program success.<br>Ph. D.

Enrolments in agriculture programmes at universities in South Africa are low when compared to the other programmes. The purpose of this study was therefore to identify factors influencing the choice of agriculture as a study discipline by undergraduates in agriculture, in an open distance education university in South Africa. The study also investigated the impact of the three agriculture curricula taught at school level, as well as how well it prepares students for tertiary education. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Open distance-learning agriculture students and agriculture educators participated in the survey. A structured online questionnaire and an open-ended questionnaire were employed. The study revealed that two major composite variables, namely family and friends, as well as job considerations, were highly significant in the students’ choice of agriculture at tertiary level. The impact of the agriculture curricula taught in the schools in preparation for tertiary education gave learners basic terminology and concepts involved in agriculture. The study also revealed challenges faced by agricultural science educators amongst which were the revealed challenges faced by agricultural science educators amongst which were the learners’ negative attitude towards the subject, inadequate or lack of infrastructure, and lack of proper guidance and counselling regarding choosing of subjects as factors that could hinder effective teaching and learning of agriculture in South Africa schools. Students studying through open distance learning indicated convenience, flexibility of studying at own pace, and ample time to spend with family and work, as factors that influenced their choice of studying through open distance learning. Recommendations on how to improve the agriculture curriculum in South African schools and attract more students’ enrolment in agriculture as a field of study at tertiary level upon completion of grade 12 are discussed in detail in the study<br>Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology<br>M. Sc. (Agriculture)