Resources

The Academic Programs Section has hosted several events in a series titled Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines, which focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in these disciplines. The sessions are designed to provide background on these issues and where possible, deliver practical solutions that could be implemented on other campuses so that students, staff, and faculty from all background are included and can thrive in the food, agriculture and natural resources disciplines.

Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines: Supporting Student Mental Health through Animals: The Ins-and-Outs of Different Types of Assistance Animals You May Encounter on Campus
May 26th 2022

This session focuses on mental health and specifically on service, pet therapy, and emotional support animals on campus. These animals can contribute to the mental and physical well-being of individuals, but they each serve a specific and different role. With an increased number of students bringing emotional support animals to campus, it can be unclear what type of animal you are encountering on campus and how you should or should not interact with these animals. In this session, you’ll hear from Kyria Whisenhunt, the Executive Director and Founder of Paws4People, about the valuable services assistance dogs provide and the differences between assistance dogs, pet therapy animals and emotional support animals. You’ll also hear from Kendria Cost, of Oklahoma State University’s Pete’s Pet Posse, a wellness program established at OSU in 2013.

Welcome
Susan Sumner, Associate Dean of Academic Programs, Virginia Tech
Paws4People
Kyria Whisenhunt, Executive Director
Pete’s Pet Posse
Kendria Cost, Oklahoma State University

View the webinar here

Additional information on this topic can be found through the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Guidelines for Service Animal Access to Veterinary Teaching Facilities, published in 2019. Additionally, Scott Lissner from The Ohio State University addressed these topics in a podcast from 2018 as part of AAVMC’s Diversity and Inclusion On Air series. You can listen to it here: Diversity and Inclusion On Air – Assistance Animals. On this episode, Scott stops by to explain the different kinds of service and support animals and the laws that apply to them. Mr. Lissner serves as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator and 504 Compliance Officer at OSU.

Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines: Bringing Industry, Government, NGOs and Higher Education Together to Build an Inclusive and Diverse Agricultural Workforce
March 9th 2021
As a continuation of our series focused on aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the food, agriculture, and natural resources disciplines, we partnered with leaders from Together We Grow, a consortium of modern food and agriculture companies, NGOs, members of academia and the government who have united to focus on building a skilled, diverse and inclusive workforce in American agriculture. Kristin Kirkpatrick, the CEO of Together We Grow, will co-lead two panels of experts with Pamala Morris of Purdue University and Quentin Tyler of Michigan State University.

Welcome
Tracy Dougher, Associate Dean of Academic Programs, Montana State University
Together We Grow
Kristin Kirkpatrick, Executive Director, Together We Grow
Early Pipeline Efforts
Panelists: Dr. Ronda Hamm, Global Academic Relations Leader, Corteva Agriscience, Ebony Webber, Chief Operating Officer, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANNRS), Dr. Ben West, Director of Corporate Strategic Partnerships, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and UT Foundation & Founding Director of Lone Oaks Farm
Co-Facilitation: Kristin Kirkpatrick, Executive Director, Together We Grow and Dr. Quentin Tyler, Associate Dean and Director for the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Michigan State University

Industry As a Partner
Panelists: Melanie Moore, Senior Director-Innovations Strategy Lead for Human Resources, Bayer, Lisa Mooney, Global Lead, Sustainability and Strategic Inclusion, Nutrien, Philomena Satre, Director of Diversity Equity & Inclusion and External Strategic Partnerships, Land O’Lakes & Debra Vernon, Senior Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Tyson Foods
Co-Facilitation: Kristin Kirkpatrick, Executive Director, Together We Grow and Dr. Pamala Morris, Assistant Dean/Director of the Office of Multicultural Programs, College of Agriculture, Purdue University

View the webinar here

Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines: White Allies as Transformational Leaders
November 5, 2020
When discussing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, one issue often arises: how can higher education leaders from majority backgrounds leverage their position to build inclusive environments and help individuals from marginalized or minoritized communities succeed and prosper in the academy? Please join us for a look at Virginia Tech’s “White Allies as Transformational Leaders” program, where you can learn about “stepping up, stepping back, and stepping forward” to promote a more inclusive leadership. While similar initiatives are taking place elsewhere, we wanted to provide a case study example of how one campus is structuring a more formal ally program.

Panelists:
Michele C. Deramo, Ph.D., Assistant Provost of Diversity Education and Programs, Office for Inclusion and Diversity
Matthew Holt, Professor and Department Head of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Jack Lesko, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and former Associate Dean for Research Graduate Studies in the College of Engineering.

Goals of this session will be:
1) Educate APS members in what an ally is, and what role they can play in advancing DEI objectives.
2) Provide leaders in member colleges the opportunity to see how they could structure a formal ally program if they choose to do so.

View the webinar here.

Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines: Building an Inclusive Online Classroom
September 21, 2020
Now that the semester has started, faculty conducting online courses may be wondering if the pedagogical techniques they are using are creating the inclusive and equitable classrooms they had hoped for or if there are other techniques they could employ. This webinar features a panel discussion by experts in inclusive online pedagogy.

Panelists:
Theressa Cooper, Assistant Dean for Diversity, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University
Michele Deramo, Assistant Provost for Diversity Education, Virginia Tech
Ria Vigil, Assistant Vice President for Inclusive Organizational Practice, Colorado State University
Dexter Wakefield, Associate Professor, Agricultural Education, Sul Ross State University

View the webinar here.

Higher Education in the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Disciplines: The Roadblocks of Experience and Environment
July 20, 2020
This session includes a panelist discussion of multicultural perspectives in agriculture and higher education. This portion of the event was not recorded and is not available for viewing. However, the second half of the event , on how to conduct a cultural audit of your campus facilities to help identify opportunities for strengthening connections with all students, is available through the link.

Panelists:
Marcus Bernard, College of Agriculture, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Communities and the Environment, Kentucky State University
Evelyn Cooper, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs & Director of Retention, Diversity and Special Initiatives, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland
Deacue Fields, Dean, Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food, and Life Sciences, University of Arkansas
Joe L. Graham, Native American Agriculture Fund
Cecilia Suarez, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Education and Communication, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Quentin Tyler, Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University

View the slideshow here.

Visual Ethnography: A Piece of the Cultural Audit Story presented by Dr. Shannon Archibeque-Engle, Colorado State University