Not listed
AGRICULTURE SERVES AS THE BACKBONE OF INSULAR ECONOMIES, SOCIAL STRUCTURE, AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS FOR PACIFIC ISLANDERS. THE LAND-GRANT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN INSULAR AREAS STRIVE TO TEACH AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCES VALUING LOCAL CULTURE; HOWEVER, WE FACE CHALLENGES INCLUDING INSUFFICIENT ACCESS TO CONTEMPORARY AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES/PRACTICES AND LIMITED INSTRUCTION RESOURCES IN GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS IN CURRICULA. THESE OBSTACLES HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS CAPABLE OF ADDRESSING THE COMPLEX AGRICULTURAL ISSUES PREVALENT IN THE REGION AND THE WORLD. FURTHER, THE INSULAR NATURE OF THESE INSTITUTIONS OFTEN ISOLATES STUDENTS FROM MAINSTREAM AGRICULTURAL ADVANCEMENTS AND GLOBAL ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES, IMPEDING THEIR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS. CONSEQUENTLY, SUCH INSTITUTIONS' STRUGGLE WOULD RESULT IN OUR GRADUATES NOT BEING PREPARED TO ADDRESS EMERGING CHALLENGES IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY, INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL MARKET DEMANDS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND INVASIVE SPECIES. THIS SIGNIFICANT EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM MAY EXTEND TO A DIRECT IMPACT ON FOOD SECURITY, ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES IS CRUCIAL FOR PROMOTING SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD SECURITY IN A RAPIDLY GROWING WORLD POPULATION. EXPANSION OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND FOSTERING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN COMMUNITIES CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ADDRESSING SOCIO-ECONOMIC DISPARITIES IN ISLAND SOCIETIES. THE AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES DIVISION (ALSD) AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUAM (UOG) OFFERS THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCE (ALS) AND THE MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, FOOD, AND NATURAL RESOURCES (SAFNR), SERVING AS THE ONLY 4-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE AND 2-YEAR POST-BACCALAUREATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC INSULAR REGION. THE STUDENT POPULATION AT UOG IS PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF PACIFIC ISLANDERS AND ASIANS (UOG FACTBOOK 2021-2022). HOWEVER, MANY TRANSFERRED STUDENTS OR NEW STUDENTS FROM OTHER ISLANDS OFTEN FACE CHALLENGES IN ADAPTING TO UOG'S 4-YEAR U.S.-STYLE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A BACHELOR'S DEGREE WITHIN THE PLANNED PERIOD. IN RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM THE COLLEGE OF MICRONESIA (COM)-FSM, PALAU COMMUNITY COLLEGE (PCC), AND GUAM COMMUNITY COLLEGE (GCC), IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT THERE IS A DEMAND FOR THE REVISION OF CURRICULA IN AGRICULTURE SCIENCE TRACKS, CREATING A PATHWAY FOR STUDENTS WITH ASSOCIATE DEGREES FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO TAKE UPPER DIVISION COURSES TO COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE IN AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCE AT UOG. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO ADDRESS THIS CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY BY ASSESSING THE CURRENT CURRICULA OF THE ALS INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AND INSULAR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A 2+2 PROGRAM AND AN INTERNATIONAL AGRI,BUSINESS CURRICULUM. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE ADDRESS THE CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ASSESSING THE CURRENT CURRICULA OF OUR ALS INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AND CURRICULA OF INSULAR COMMUNITY COLLEGES LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF (1) 2+2 PROGRAM, MEANING COMPLETION OF A 2-YEAR ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAM AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES FOLLOWED BY 2 YEARS OF TAKING THE SPECIALIZED UPPER DIVISION COURSES IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCE AT UOG. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEVELOP (2) AN INTERNATIONAL AGRIBUSINESS CURRICULUM COMBINING CLASSROOM LEARNING WITH HANDS-ON TRAINING THROUGH INTERNSHIPS FACILITATED BY INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION WITH ASIA-PACIFIC AGRICULTURE COLLEGES AS WELL AS AGRIBUSINESS SCHOOLS IN US MAINLAND COLLEGES. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL PINGTUNG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (NPUST) IN TAIWAN WHICH WAS INITIATED WITH SUPPORT OF THE PREVIOUS RIIA PROJECT (AWARD NO.: 2022-70008-38345) ADAPTION OF VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY (VRT) IN ADVANCEMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCES EDUCATION IN INSULAR INSTITUTIONS. THIS RIIA PROPOSED PROJECT SEEKS TO INAUGURATE A PLATFORM TO FACILITATE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND STRENGTHEN FORCEFUL COLLABORATION IN A MULTICULTURAL CONTEXT BY FOLLOWING THE USDA STRATEGIC PLAN AND NIFA SCIENCE EMPHASIS AREAS EDUCATION & MULTICULTURAL ALLIANCES SCIENCE. MOREOVER, THIS PROPOSAL ALIGNS WITH THE RIIA PROJECT PRIORITIES, INCLUDING STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL EDUCATIONAL CAPACITIES AND ATTRACTING AND SUPPORTING UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS IN IDENTIFIED AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED IN THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES.
$200.0k 8/1/24