Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** while the nation, the state and the…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** while the nation, the state and the local communities in luna's service area are in need of professionals in the stem fields, the predominantly rural and agricultural population of northeastern new mexico faces significant obsticals in pursuing both credit and non-credit stem education and training. The recent wildfires and subsequent flooding have served to exacerbate the need for stem professionals inareas of study that include natural resource improvement and conservation, wildland resiliency, forestry, fire protection, farm and range management, nutrition and food science, rural development, economic mobility, poverty, sociology and rural demography, and ecology studies. In order to ameliorate the barriers for rural and agricultural students and to increase the numbers of stem professionals, luna proposes to develop stackable credentials that will allow students multiple opportuities to enter and exit the education system, from short term workshops that can lead directly to land recovery and/or a paying job, to transferable degrees that complete the first two years of a baccalaureate. Recruitment and delivery will be informed by faculty training and wraparound, comprehensive, research-proven servicesfor increasingstudent success. Additional student support will be available in the form of internships and financial aid.luna's projectwill engage, attract, enroll, retain, and graduate students in current and innovative areas of study appropriate for both local, immediate and long-term disaster recovery needs and USDA mission critical workforce needs.