20243882142050

A national assessment of agricultural employers identified a strong need to bridge the instructional gap between food and, agriculture sciences content and soft skills, particularly the development of leadership skills. To address that gap, this project will develop, provide, and evaluate a sustainable training model embedded within the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences, and Technology (CAFST) at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) that will improve the multidisciplinary development of leadership and 21st century skills among undergraduates.

By leveraging the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career competencies of leadership, critical thinking/problem solving, teamwork/collaboration, and global/intercultural fluency, this project proposes to adopt and implement an innovative multi-disciplinary training model for undergraduates that is grounded in a social constructivist approach. This model emphasizes leadership development, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills related to complex global agricultural issues.

We expect this project to produce a diverse, career-ready graduate who is trained to think critically about complex global problems and exhibit high-impact leadership skills. Specific project tasks are to restructure the multidisciplinary curricular resources required for the Leadership Academy Program training model; build strong partnerships with entities engaged in global agriculture to provide internships for students; develop an innovative impact community to educate and mentor undergraduates in leadership related to global agricultural issues.

Successful completion of this project will lay the foundation for a long-term initiative that will serve as a model program for developing leadership in the 21st century skills for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, extension educators, and community personnel from around the nation.

Fort Valley State University

NOT APPLICABLE

10.216 - 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants

Institute of Youth, Family, and Community (IYFC) [USDA - NIFA]

Fort Valley, Georgia 31030-4313 United States

Single Zip Code

NOT APPLICABLE

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 03/31/26 to 07/31/26.