Funding-USDA
Announces $8.8 Million Available to Support Food and Agricultural Sciences
Education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions; February 9, 2016
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this release on the NIFA website. USDA Announces
$8.8 Million Available to Support Food and Agricultural Sciences Education at
Hispanic-Serving Institutions
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
today announced the availability of more than $8.8 million in competitive
funding to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ (HSIs) agricultural science
education programs. These grants will enhance the ability of these colleges
and universities to support underserved students and develop a skilled
American workforce. “The number of jobs available in fields pertaining to food, agriculture,
natural resources and the environment are far outpacing the number of
students graduating with expertise in those areas. At the same time, the
agriculture industry, much like other sectors of our economy, is recognizing
that a more diverse workforce will help its businesses thrive,” said
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Hispanic-Serving Institutions can
use this investment to increase enrollment in science fields of study,
further developing students with the potential to solve society’s future
agricultural challenges. These fields will only become more important as we
continue to develop solutions to feed more than 9 billion people by 2050.” These grants are awarded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) and the Hispanic-Serving
Institution Education Grants Program. The purpose of this program is to
support innovative teaching or education applications with potential to
impact Hispanic-Serving Institutions to build capacity and then to become
models for other institutions that serve underrepresented students, at the
regional or national level. While research and extension activities may be
included in a funded HSI Education project, the primary focus must be to
improve teaching, enrollment, and graduation rates within a degree-granting
program. Since 2009, NIFA has awarded more than $58.5 million in funding to
this program. A May
2015 report released by NIFA and Purdue University showed that there
is tremendous demand for recent college graduates with a degree in
agricultural programs, with an estimated 57,900 high-skilled job openings
annually in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and
environment fields in the United States. Meanwhile, there is an average of
35,400 new U.S. graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher in agriculture
related fields, 22,500 short of the jobs available annually. The report
projects almost half of the job opportunities will be in management
and business. Another 27 percent will be in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas. Jobs in food
and biomaterials production will make up 15 percent, and 12 percent
of the openings will be in education,
communication, and governmental services. The HSI program follows the NIFA Priority Science Areas, which are
considered national priorities:
Priority will be given to projects that promote and strengthen the ability
of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to carry out education, as determined by
each institution, within a broadly defined area of food and agricultural
sciences and related disciplines. Applications for collaboration projects are due Feb. 9, standard
applications are due Feb. 10, and strengthening project applications are due
Feb. 12. Please see the request
for applications for specific program requirements. Currently, more than 300 HSIs are dedicated to meeting the educational
needs of the Hispanic community. These institutions are located in 17 states
and Puerto Rico, serving more than two million students in areas with the
largest growing Hispanic communities in the country. Previous projects
include the Hispanic Public Healthy Nutrition (HPHN) initiative at the
University of Illinois that promotes online access to undergraduate- and
graduate-level courses to students and experimental learning through
internships in an effort to create workplace diversity in the nutritional
sciences and public health sector, with a goal of addressing childhood
obesity prevention. Project PATH (Plant, Assimilate, Till, Harvest) at Pima
Community College works with Hispanic students to increase their awareness of
careers in agriculture and increase the number of Hispanic student obtaining
post-secondary degrees in agriculture-related fields and entering
agriculture-related careers. Since 2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and
transformative initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the
long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA’s integrated research, education,
and extension programs, supporting the best and brightest scientists and
extension personnel, have resulted user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries
that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic
growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production,
finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring
food safety. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science, visit
www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts,
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updates, or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts. # USDA
is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of
discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992
(English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay)
or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). |
