Uneven Paths: Agricultural Pathways that Lead Students to Enroll
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v66i1.21Keywords:
Colleges of Agriculture, ethnicity, race, gender, undergraduateAbstract
For colleges of agriculture (COAs) throughout the US, recruitment and retention of undergraduate students is a matter of existential importance. We analyzed personal statements written by applicants accepted to an undergraduate degree program at [State] College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) to determine what previous interactions with agriculture played an important role in the decision to apply. The 491 students who submitted written materials as a part of their application to CALS described an array of agriculture pathways that we classified as categories of work and volunteer experience, clubs, coursework, personal history, and leisure. Our study found that 319 students, or 65%, described at least one pathway that played a role in their choice to apply. We found that most pathways were dominated by White students. Just 8.8% of students with at least one agriculture pathway were from a minoritized group. Further, we calculated the mean first term [State] CALS GPA (FTGPA) and graduation rate after six years for each of the pathway groups. We found that students who discussed FFA participation had relatively high FTGPAs and graduation rates. Additionally, students intending to become veterinarians had relatively high FTGPA but low six-year graduation rates.
Downloads
References
Alston, A. J., R. Roberts and C. W. English. (2019). Building a sustainable agricultural career
pipeline: effective recruitment and retention practices used by colleges of agriculture in the United States. Journal of Research in Technical Careers, 3(2):1-23
Baker, L. M., Q. Settle, C. Chiarelli and T. Irani. (2013). Recruiting strategically: Increasing
enrollment in academic programs of agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 54(3):54-66.
Chapman, D. (1981). A model of student college choice. The Journal of Higher Education,
(5):490-505.
Donnermeyer, J. F., and G.M. Kreps. (1994). Assessing college of agriculture freshmen. NACTA Journal, 38(1):45-48.
Duncan, D. W., E. Carter, N. Fuhrman and J.K. Rucker. (2015). How does 4-H and FFA
involvement impact freshmen enrollment in a college of agriculture. NACTA
Journal, 59(4):326-330.
Dyer, J.E., R. Lacey, and E.W Osborne. (1996). Attitudes of University of Illinois College of
Agriculture freshmen toward agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 37(3):33-42.
Dyer, J.E., L.M. Breja, and R.J. Andreasen. (1999). Attitudes of college of agriculture freshmen
toward agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 40(2):1-10.
Dyer, J.E., L.M. Breja and P.S. Whittier. (2002). Predictors of student retention in colleges of
Agriculture (ED462290). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED462290.pdf
Foreman, B., M. Retallick and S. Smalley. (2018). Changing demographics in college of
agriculture and life sciences students. NACTA Journal, 62(2):161-167.
George, K. M.. (1978). A profile of agricultural students at Murray State University (ED168794). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED168795.pdf
Goecker, A.D., E. Smith, P.G. Smith and R. Goetz. (2010). Employment opportunities for college graduates in food, energy, and the environment: United States, 2010-2015. National Institute of Food and Agriculture. https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1342/images/editor_documents/usda.pdf?sessionid=8b8f9c65-8f8b-4690-9f42-8fc853d5e1ff&cc=1
Jones, W. A., and A. Larke. (2001). Factors influencing career choice of African American and
Hispanic graduates of a Land-Grant college of agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 42(1):39-49.
Lancaster, S. H., and J.S. Robinson. (2011). Factors associated with student success in an
introductory plant science course. NACTA Journal, 55(2):26-31.
Peffer, P. A. L. (2010). Demographics of an undergraduate animal sciences course and the
influence of gender and major on course performance. NACTA Journal, 54(3), 25-30.
Powell, L. A. (2017). Urban cowboys: Demographics confirm that agriculture and natural
resources recruiting plans cannot be one-size-fits-all. NACTA Journal, 61(2):121-126.
Rayfield, J., T.P. Murphrey, C. Skaggs and J. Shafer. (2013). Factors that influence student
decisions to enroll in a college of agriculture and life sciences. NACTA Journal, 57(1):88-93.
Rocca, S. J., and S.G. Washburn. (2005). Factors influencing college choice of high school and
transfer matriculants into a college of agriculture. NACTA Journal, 49(1):32-38.
Setterbo, K., C. Akers, T. Tarpley, L. Kennedy, D. Doerfert and C. Gibson. (2017). Going
against the grain: Recruiting atypical students into a college of agriculture. NACTA Journal, 61(1):46-51.
Shrestha, K. M., M. Suvedi and E.F. Foster. (2011). Who enrolls in agriculture and natural
resources majors: A case from Michigan State University. NACTA Journal, 55(3):33-43.
Smith, A. R., B.L. Garton and T.J. Kitchel. (2010). Beyond mere enrollment: Level of youth
organization participation as a predictor of collegiate academic success and retention. Journal of Agricultural Education, 51(2):24-35.
Turner, P., and E. Thompson. (2014). College retention initiatives meeting the needs of
millennial freshmen students. College Student Journal, 48(1):94-104.
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research.
Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89-125.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. (second
edition). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.
Wildman, M. and R.M. Torres. (2001). Factors identified when selecting a major in agriculture.
Journal of Agricultural Education, 42(2):46-55.
