2011 – Year 1 Assessment Report Hispanic Serving Institutions USDA Grant #2010-38422-21218 – Texas A&M University-Kingsville

DEVELOPING AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING/MENTORING AND RESEARCH

PROGRAM FOR RECRUITMENT, RENTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT INTO

AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCE AND HUMAN SCIENCES

Project Director

Roger Hanagriff, Associate Professor Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Project Evaluator

John Rayfield, Assistant Professor Texas A&M University

Co-Project Director(s)

Shad Nelson, Professor and Department Chair Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Ryan Rhoades, Assistant Professor Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Kim McCuistion, Assistant Professor Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Randall Williams, Professor Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Bill Kulvesky, Associate Dean College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Texas A&M University –

Kingsville

Fidel Hernandez, Associate Professor A&M University – Kingsville

Catherine Simpson, A&M University – Kingsville

Stephen Lukefahr, Regents Professor Texas A&M University – Kingsville

PROJECT GOALS

The project goal is aimed at recruiting from underserved student population for careers in agricultural science and USDA agencies, and as a means of recruiting into M.S. graduate programs at TAMUK or other Universities. As proposed, the project addresses USDA Strategic Goals of FY2007-2012.

Goal 1: Enhance International Competitiveness of American Agriculture this project plans to recruit top secondary education students from underrepresented groups to enroll in majors within the college of agriculture and natural resources and visit a campus such as TAMUK. An additional aspect of this goal is achieved by also creating graduate research support for undergraduate students and those seeking M.S. degrees. This project utilized activities such as:

Summer educational camps held at Texas A&M Kingsville (Activity 1)

Undergraduate research scholarships (Activity 2)

Goal 2: Enhance the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Rural and Farm Economies this project will recruit from a primarily Hispanic group of students, of which the majority represent first generation college students and mentor them to and through the educational process. This process will also connect potential students with “pre-education” mentors that can offer suggestions of major, assistant them in scholarship applications and support several students that are in undergraduate programs to complete M.S. degrees. This project utilized activities such as:

Summer educational camps held at Texas A&M Kingsville and recruited from secondary agricultural science program in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas (Activity 1)

Undergraduate research scholarships, with selection criteria including their collaboration with faculty and interest in pursuing advanced degrees (Activity 2)

Goal 3: Support Increased Economic Opportunities and Improved Quality of Life in Rural America, which is achieved in this project by these students from underrepresented groups increasing their educational goals and improving their quality of life. This project utilized activities such as:

Graduate research assistantship (Activity 3)

Undergraduate research scholarships (Activity 2)

Goal 4: Enhance Protection and Safety of the Nation’s Agriculture and Food Supply when considering food safety and animal health presentations. This project utilized activities such as:

Summer educational camps held at Texas A&M Kingsville (Activity 1)

USDA educational presentations (Activity 1)

TAMUK faculty presentations (Activity 1)

Goal 5: Improve the Nation’s Nutrition and Health when considering proper nutrition and impacts to youth presentation, especially related to childhood obesity related to Hispanic youth. This project utilized activities such as:

Summer educational camps held at Texas A&M Kingsville (Activity 1)

Promotion of Texas A&M Kingsville Javelina Diners’ “Eat Well To Be Well” outreach program (Activity 1)

Goal 6: Protect and Enhance the Nation’s Natural Resource Base and Environment, which relates to soil, water and wildlife conservation presentations. These presentations will also be supported by faculty and scientists from Texas AgriLife, USDA-ARS, USDA-AMS, USDA-NRCS and the Departments of Agronomy & Resource Sciences and Animal & Wildlife Sciences at TAMUK. Research for undergraduate and graduate students will also focus on these areas and many will include linkages to collaborating divisions of USDA. This project utilized activities such as:

Summer educational camps held at Texas A&M Kingsville (Activity 1)

Undergraduate research scholarships (Activity 2)

USDA educational presentations (Activity 1)

DATA COLLECTION / METHODS

(Activity 1) Students and teachers registration included email contacts, which were used as the primary

contact for outreach and project assessment. Response rates for teachers in this assessment resulted in

a 63% response rate (11 total schools), while the student sample resulted in a 40% response rate (48

total students). Each sample group had five total survey contacts, which was a complete assessment

request.

(Activity 2) Undergraduate research awards give to support students was evaluated by contacting

students to learn about their research project and completing a qualitative study which allows the

students to formalize their associated value of the project.

(Activity 3) Graduate research awards give to support students was evaluated by contacting students to

learn about their research project and completing a qualitative study which allows the students to

formalize their associated value of the project.

ASSESSMENT RESULTS: Activity 1 – Summer Educational Camps

The goal of the summer educational camps (Activity 1) was to address several of the objectives of the grant proposal. The camps were intended to actively involve the students and increase their interest in choosing a major within agriculture and natural resources.

The summer camps had two target audiences. One was the secondary agriscience teachers, who serve as a major influence on student’s decision to enter certain colleges as well as choose their major. The second target group is the students attending the camp which focused on increasing their knowledge of potential majors, information about the college applications process, meeting college professors and advisors and just becoming accustomed to the college environment.

Teacher Assessment Information

While recruiting schools, the goal was to promote Activity 1 to rural communities in south Texas. By targeting rural communities in the Rio Grande Valley, underfunded first generation College students would most likely be in attendance. This would provide a great opportunity to promote agriculture and Texas A&M Kingsville.

Figure 1 – School Size Attending TAMUK Summer Camps

Show in the figure above, the largest percent group in attendance to Activity 1 was IIIA high schools, which came from rural communities in the Rio Grande Valley. Given that the grant is aimed towards recruiting low income Hispanics, special attention was paid towards recruiting high school students from the Rio Grande Valley where there is a high level of Hispanic poverty. Keeping in mind that this is the first time Activity 1 has been offered, schools with low Hispanic populations were not ignored. Table 1: Percentage of each high schools Hispanic population:

% Hispanic Populations School Response

0 - 25% 14%

26 - 50% 29%

51 - 75% 0%

76 - 100% 57%

IIA14%

IIIA43%

IVA29%

VA14%

School Size Attending Camp Events

Illustrated in the table above, high schools with Hispanic populations ranging from 76 – 100% were 57% of the schools in attendance to Activity 1. The second largest group came from the 26 – 50% Hispanic segment which was 29% of the camp audience, followed by 14% in attendance coming from 0 -25% Hispanic schools and finally no school had Hispanic populations ranging from 51 – 75%. Overall the goal of targeting large percent Hispanic high schools was met and represented by the largest percentile (57%) in attendance. Another aspect of the summer educational experience was to gain feedback (Tables 3-6) from agriculture education teachers about significance of camp such as Activity 1. The goal of the following questions is to gauge the level of impact Activity 1 had on the students that attended from the teacher’s point of view. Table 2: Do camps such as Activity 1 impact student’s college attendance:

Do educational camps improve student’s interest in attending college?

Response Percent

Yes 100%

No 0%

The data shown above displays 100% agreement from agriculture education instructors that camps like Activity 1 impact high school student’s decision to attend universities such as Texas A&M Kingsville. Table 3: Impact camps such as Activity 1 have on college preparation:

Do camps like Activity 1 improve high school students College preparation knowledge?

Response Percent

Yes 100%

No 0%

Again, agriculture educational teachers have 100% consensus that Activity 1 prepares students for College. The financial aid and college application process looks like a daunting task for students who are first generation applicants. By using activity 1 as a tool to introduce these pertinent processes, the result will likely increase enrollment and retention. Table 4: Recommendation of Activity 1 to other agriculture education instructors:

Recommendation of Activity 1 to other agriculture education teachers?

Response Percent

Yes 100.0%

No 0.0%

Of the agriculture education teachers that attended Activity 1, 100% of them would recommend the experience to their co-workers in different areas. This further qualifies that these camps indeed have a positive impact on high school students’ choice to attend college.

The following information was collected from agriculture educators to determine the level of significance Activity 1 had on their students. This data will help improve future camps and make sure Activity 1 is heading in the correct direction outlined in the initial grant.

Figure 2 – Teacher’s perceived value of Ag College Week Camp (Scale = 1-No Value, 2-Slight Value, 3-Valubale, 4-Very Valuable)

Considering the previous data in Figure 2, secondary agriculture educators rate a positive impacted (3.5 out of 4) their students’ decisions to obtain an agriculture degree. The impact on attendance to Texas A&M Kingsville was also rated highly (3.3 out of 4) and finally general plans to attend college received a good evaluation (3.5 out of 4). These results provide a measure of perceived teacher success for this program, which did attract the targeted demographic. The final measure of evaluation was to rate the success of each of the events held during Activity 1. The purpose of this analysis is to determine whether the events are enjoyable and informative while using the feedback to make improvements for the summer 2012 camp. The first measure of success involved the evaluation of accommodations that were provided while the camp attendees were at Texas A&M Kingsville. For the students to get a feel for the college experience, they stayed in TAMUK dormitory housing and ate on campus at the Javelina Diner.

Figure 3 – Teacher’s perceived value of Ag College Week Camp (Scale = 1-Not satisfied, 2-Slightly satisfied, 3-Satisfied, 4-Very satisfied)

3.50

3.33

3.50

Impact on your students' plans to attend college

Impact on your students' decision to attend Texas A&M Kingsville

Impact on plans to obtain an agriculture related degree

Secondary Agricultural Science Teachers Perceptions of Students Attending TAMUK Camps

3.67

3.67

3.33

3.67

Dormitory experience

Meals at the Javelina Diner

Recreational Activities

Student Workers and Camp Staff

Teacher Event Satisfaction Ratings

The evaluation of events below outlines each departmental presentation held and the agriculture educator’s opinion of each events success. This is an important measure to evaluate the satisfaction of each event and to make improvements for the summer 2012 camp.

Figure 4 - Teacher's event ratings of Ag College Week events (Scale = 1-Not satisfied, 2-Slightly satisfied, 3-Satisfied, 4-Very satisfied)

As shown above, the summer education camps were a success from the agriculture educator’s point of view. Although the ratings are extremely satisfying, there is room for improvement for the summer 2012 camps.

Student Assessment Information In the student evaluation, the route of approach was to determine their familiarity and comfort with agriculture and general college processes before they attended Activity 1. Next we polled their opinion of the success of the camp. Finally, their familiarity and comfort with agriculture and general college processes was measure after they attended Activity 1. A major goal of the summer educational camps was to target high school students that were going to be incoming college freshman or seniors in high school. The reasoning behind this is the impact should be greater since their college and major of choice is more pertinent than a freshman, sophomore, or junior. Table 5: Student classification of camp attendees:

Grade Classification Percent

Freshman 0%

Sophomore 25%

Junior 33%

Senior 42%

College Freshman 0%

Graduated and not enrolled 0%

3.50

3.67

3.17

3.50

3.50

3.17

3.17

3.83

3.67

3.33

Agribusiness

Animal Science

Animal Science

Agriculture Science

Wildlife

Plant and Soil Science

Admissions and Financial Information

USDA events

King Ranch

Wildlife Research Center

Teacher Rating of Event Activities

As depicted in the table above, 42% of camp attendees are currently seniors in high school and will have upcoming educational decisions, satisfaction has been met for these criteria. Targeting students nearing graduation was an objective of the project and considering the 75% were juniors or seniors this seems to be a successful result based on targeting highly potential students. Another target of this project was to reach underrepresented Hispanic students that have high academic potential, which is indicted by their class rank. Table 6: Class ranking:

Class Rank Response Percent

Top 10% 25%

Top Quarter 33%

Second Quarter 25%

Third Quarter 8%

Fourth Quarter 0%

Unsure 8%

Illustrated above, the goals were successfully met, since 58% of students attending camps reported the

top ten percent to top quarter (25%+33%).

To successfully measure the impact of Activity 1, evaluations were made before and after the camp

which are labeled as a pre to post assessment. The goals of the camp were to increase students interest

in attending a university, obtaining a degree related to agriculture and finally to attend Texas A&M

University Kingsville (TAMUK). The following figure illustrates the pre and post assessment values.

Figure 5 - Pre and Post Camp Assessment Values (Scale = 1-No interest, 2-Some interest, 3- Average interest, 4-Interested, 5-Very interested)

4.83

3.89

3.17

4.92

4.25

3.75

Interest in obtaining a college degree

Interest in college major related to agriculture

Interest in attending TAMUK

Pre & Post Camp Assessment Values

Post Camp Pre Camp

In comparing pre and post camp assessment areas, each areas illustrated growth in student interest and are likely direct results of them attending the camp. A light increase (2%) was recognized in the area of increasing students interest to obtain a degree, but these students are mostly top quarter students and have a high reported pre-interest (4.83 = very interested) in attended college. However, there was an 8% increase in interest value for those planning to major in college. The highest impact from the camp was the 18% increase in interest for attending TAMUK. Another goal of the camps was to help students become familiar with university application procedures and financial aid. The following table illustrates pre and post assessment results in relation to TAMUK admissions and financial aid.

Table 7: Assessment for Financial Aid & Admissions

Comfort Level Pre-

Camp Post-Camp

Not Comfortable 0% 0%

Somewhat Comfortable 17% 8%

Comforatable 75% 75%

Extremely Comfortable 8% 17%

As illustrated in Table 7, 75% of students felt comfortable pre and post camp experience. However, the camp seems to have positive impacted students that were “somewhat comfortable” moving to the higher comfort levels and illustrating a positive impact from the camp experience. The evaluation of events below outlines each departmental presentation held and the students that

attended the camps opinion of each events success. This is an important measure to evaluate the

satisfaction of each event and to make improvements for the summer 2012 camp.

Figure 6 - Student satisfaction rating of Ag College Week Events (Scale= 1-Not satisfied, 2-Somewhat satisfied, 3-Satisfied, 4-Extremely satisfied)

3.58

3.50

3.33

3.17

3.75

2.58

3.08

3.58

3.83

3.92

Agribusiness

Animal Science

Animal Science

Agriculture Science

Wildlife

Plant and Soil Science

Admissions and Financial Information

USDA events

King Ranch

Wildlife Research Center

Student Satisfaction Rating of Ag College Week Events

As illustrated in Figure 6, student had satisfied to extremely satisfied ratings of all areas, with the exception of plant and soil science presentations. Changes in all areas are planned for 2012 that create greater hands-on experiences for students. An important aspect of Activity 1 was making the event as informative as possible in order to improve student’s transition from high school to college studies. To get this valuable feedback, they were polled about collegiate knowledge after the camp, interest in attending Texas A&M Kingsville and if the camp would be beneficial to other students that did not attend.

Figure 7 - Camp final evaluation & recommendation to others (Scale= 1-not recommend, 2=slightly recommend, 3=recommend, 4-highly recommend)

Illustrated above, students recommend to highly recommended that other students attend a camp such as the one held at Texas A&M Kingsville, increased their interest to attend Texas A&M Kingsville, and finally increased their general college knowledge such as financial aid, application and areas to pursue a degree.

ASSESSMENT RESULTS: Activity 2 – Undergraduate Scholarships

Undergraduate research scholarships were designed to aid qualified applicants in their tuition expenses

so they may apply more time in their degree’s field. Activity 2’s applicants were judged upon grade point

average, research project proposal, research goals / outcomes and previous achievements. Students

were required to have a partnering professor or mentor that they worked with in relation to their

research interest. The goal of this program was to increase retention for these students, reduce their

financial burden and increase their scholarly interest in pursuing an advance degree.

The table below outlines the number of scholarships that were given out to students in the various

agriculture and human science department. All students in the College of Agriculture and Human

Sciences were notified of the scholarship opportunity and deadlines for submission in the Spring

semester of 2011.

Table 8: Scholarship / Department Allocation:

Major # of Scholarships - Department

Agribusiness 2

Animal Science 0

Plant / Soil Science 1

Range / Wildlife Science 3

3.83

3.50

3.18

College Knowledge

Interest in TAMUK

Reccomendation to other students

Post Camp Review

As illustrated in Table 8, scholarships resulted in student selected from several college majors. Based on funding allocated late in the Fall, this is the initial allocation of scholarships and only for one semester. Student did complete an end of the semester evaluation and offered qualitative comments towards the value of their scholarship award. Quotations from several scholarship recipients and how the funding aided their success:

“My USDA scholarship aided my research goals by allowing me valuable time away from my job, which made my goals a reality.” -Lea Garcia “The HSI scholarship allowed me to dedicate more time and energy on my research. Not only did the HSI scholarship allow me to expand my project goals and research duration, but it also enabled me to become more involved and focused on my overall project goals.” -Thomas Janke “The HSI scholarship allowed me to focus more on my schooling and research, without having to worry about working to pay for bills all the time. This scholarship, along with others, helped me strive to complete my undergraduate with a B.S. degree in Range and Wildlife Management from the astute Texas A&M University in Kingsville wildlife program in 3 short years with a 4.0 GPA” -Thomas Janke

Overall, undergraduate scholarship goals were met by having several students publish papers and

present their research at various conferences around the country. Considering the total six

undergraduate awards, student reported 3 peer reviewed publications. The following are summaries of

their presentations/reports:

Poster Presentation - Avian associations with mesquite motte characteristics, Taylor O. Garrison, Brian J.

Bielfelt, and Andrea R. Litt.- International Wildlife Research Conference

Poster Presentation - ARE RADIOTELEMETRY SURVIVAL ESTIMATES OF NORTHERN BOBWHITE BIASED LOW? AN EVALUATION USING POPULATION VIABILITY ANALYSIS. Thomas Jenke, Fidel Hernandez, Carlos Lopez-morales Erin E. Cord and Stephen J. Demaso. - International Wildlife Research Conference These students also participated in assisting during Activity 1 (Summer Ag College Week Camps) by serving as group leaders and camp activities. The findings from this section are that 50% of the students supported in this area created published research awards.

ASSESSMENT RESULTS: Activity – Research Assistantship

The stipend created from this grant for the research assistant has resulted in an increase of educational

goals while maintaining a satisfactory quality of living during their educational experience. Opportunities

such as these allow the youth of America a chance for advancement in a competitive economic society.

Preparation for the summer educational camps held at Texas A&M Kingsville was conducted by the

research assistant. He was responsible for the booking of activities, coordination with faculty to prepare

their presentations and recruitment of high school agriculture education instructors to attend the event.

During the summer educational camps held at the university, the research assistant, in conjunction with

faculty, was responsible for the directing of undergraduate scholarship recipients, management of the

presentations, and logistical/safety aspects of the event.

After the first summer event, the assistant researcher is accountable for the above during the second

half of the grant in the summer of 2012. Also, he will be accompanying faculty to a 2011 research

conference and presenting the following paper:

Hanagriff, R and Whitis, T. (2010). Economic Impacts Derived from a Newly Developed Community

Supported Equine Facility: Impacts to Rural Tourism. The Economics, Finance & International Business

Research Conference in Miami, Florida, December 2011.

CONCLUSIONS

This first year assessment offers exciting opportunities for students, but in some cases not all data is

complete. In terms of activity 1, which is the Summer Ag College Week Camps, they attracted 48

students of the targeted 60 students. Though falling short of the targeted volume, the camp was a

success in terms of attracting high quality students from Hispanic regions in Texas potentially interested

in pursuing degrees in agriculture. The results were an 18% increase in student’s interest to attend a

Hispanic servicing institution such as TAMUK. An additional 9% increase in student’s interest to major

in the college of agriculture was another positive result of the camps, and again meets objectives of this

project. All areas of the camp received positive ratings and student felt experience was valuable and

should be attended by their peers.

Activity 2 was directed to undergraduate scholarship support to increase these students interest in

research and potentially pursuing an advanced degree. Student research results were successful as all

students worked with faculty and 50% of those students were involved in peer reviewed publications.

Limitations to this area included only one semester of scholarship support and the need to trace these

students potentially into graduate or advanced degrees, which is an objective for the year 2 report.

Activity 3 was to offer graduate research support for a student to further their educational program and

become more involved in research. This objective was met with the student organizing this event,

coordinating camp mentors as well as producing a peer reviewed article for 2011 publication.