Source: NC A&T UNIVERSITY, 3/22/21

Job prospects today are as promising as ever for college graduates in the fields of food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment. Each year, in fact, nearly 58,000 openings await those with such degrees.

Most employers hiring in these fields prefer candidates with relevant expertise, according to a report on 2015-2020 employment opportunities by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Purdue University. And yet, on average, the annual pool of U.S. graduates who fit the bill numbers only 35,400.

Put simply: The supply of experts in these areas falls far short of demand.

The 1890 Center of Excellence to Motivate and Educate for Achievement based at N.C. A&T State University aims to close that gap – and, equally important, create a more diverse, better-prepared workforce – by recruiting, retaining and graduating more minority students for careers in food- and agriculture-related disciplines.

Funded by a $1.6 million grant from NIFA’s 1890 Centers of Excellence Program, the groundbreaking virtual center launched July 1 in the university’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. It serves all 19 of the 1890 land-grant universities and is led by representatives from seven: N.C. A&T, Florida A&M University, Lincoln University, Tuskegee University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Virginia State University.

“While we at A&T lead, this is a team effort. It is taking our partners hand in hand and collectively lifting the caliber of the minority students who are being trained to be the next generation of STEM leaders in a diversified workforce,” said Mohamed Ahmedna, Ph.D., dean of the CAES.

“There is a huge gap in skills in the market. And when you look at minorities, the gap is even larger. That makes this a lot more urgent. We see our strength in the collective actions that we take and how fast and how impactful we are in terms of achieving our objectives.”

The MEA Center of Excellence focuses on four primary objectives:
• Recruit, retain, mentor and graduate young people from underrepresented groups for careers in food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences.
• Provide workforce-development experiences for minority students to smooth their path from high school to college programs and careers.
• Increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
• Provide students from grade school through college with experiential learning opportunities related to soft skills, research skills, international engagement, conference attendance, leadership training and technology skill development.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER
Antoine Alston, Ph.D., the college’s associate dean for academic studies and a professor of agricultural education, says the center’s work is nothing short of critical to the nation’s security and well-being.

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