[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]USDA announces availability of more than $8.8 million in competitive funding to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ agricultural science education programs[/title][fusion_text]Thursday, January 14th 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 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. 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.
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