Technical College Scholars for Food Science Careers

Non-Technical Summary:<br/>
Career opportunities are numerous in the area of food science and nutrition for BS graduates. However, many minority students are unaware of these career paths and employment opportunities. The food industry, hospitals, and other institutions employ food science graduates and actively recruit underrepresented food science professionals. However, the number of minority graduates from South Carolina in this field averaged less than 13% of the total graduates over the five years ending in 2009. The goal of this project, "Technical College Scholars for Food Science Careers," is to recruit and retain minority students into the Associate of Science degree programs (food science and human nutrition concentration) at Orangeburg -Calhoun Tech (OCtech) and Trident Technical (TTC) Colleges, then support and mentor these students through the completion of the Bachelor of Science degree at Clemson University. The project objective is to develop a pipeline, utilizing the combined efforts of OCtech and TTC, for preparing underrepresented students to meet the demand for highly qualified personnel in the food science industry. The Multicultural Scholars program would support the development of a model sustainable food science program connecting technical colleges with Clemson University. Recruiting for this program is a combined effort from the three universities beginning with high schools and mentoring students to graduation, with emphasis on developing professional skills both in and out of the classroom. Mentoring will play an integral part in the program at all three institutions with dedicated leaders serving as academic coordinators. Service learning will be provided through the national and campus organization of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences. This professional organization has historically mentored, groomed, and supported minorities in the field of agriculture as they enter the workplace.
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The primary outcomes are: a) 12 MSP Scholars will graduate from Clemson University with a BS in Food Science; b) MSP scholars will develop professionally as they complete their academic courses, conduct undergraduate research, and participate in both study abroad and internship experiences; c) Scholars will obtain positions with businesses and institutions or enter graduate or professional programs; d) Employers will evaluate Scholars for their professional skills and compare them to others from similar academic programs; e) The program will reveal key processes necessary to transition minority students into careers in the food sciences; f) Employers of successful graduates will recognize this program as an effective tool and provide financial assistance to support the continuation of the MSP scholars program. To provide a complete picture of the effectiveness of this program from the student, faculty and employer viewpoints, evaluation of the methods will begin with obtaining benchmark data determining the level of food science knowledge pre- and post-program completion and ending with alumni surveys which will allow a final reflection of the process and program after employment for two years.
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Approach:<br/>
Recruitment of MSP Scholars will be a joint effort of the three institutional participants in this application. Recruiting materials and presentations will be disseminated to prospective students through various avenues that are currently in place; Middle College Duel Enrollment (OCtech), Health Careers Preparatory Program (OCtech), College Duel Credit & Early Admittance Programs (TTC), and South Carolina Life (Clemson). Scholars will complete their general education courses focusing on mathematics and science during their first two years at either OCtech or TTC. Scholars will complete their general education courses focusing on mathematics and science during their first two years at either OCtech or TTC. Junior and senior year courses will focus on departmental and emphasis area courses that will prepare the Scholar for graduation. Experimental opportunities for scholars include undergraduate research beginning their sophomore year, study abroad between their sophomore and junior year, and industry internship between their junior and senior year. Mentoring will play an integral part in the program at all three institutions with dedicated leaders serving as academic coordinators and student support services assisting before assistance is needed. Service learning will be provided through the national and campus organization of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences. This professional organization has historically mentored, groomed, and supported minorities in the field of agriculture as they enter the workplace. To provide a complete picture of the effectiveness of this program from the student, faculty, and employer viewpoints, evaluation of the methods will begin with obtaining benchmark data determining the level of food science knowledge pre- and post-program completion (at the end of year 2 and 4). Student engagement and core competencies such as problem solving, ethics, and communication skills, both when students enter the program and prior to graduation, will be obtained by national and proprietary survey instruments to assess student progress. Experimental experiences will be characterized to assess the skills learned and career and employer surveys will assess the work place skills of participants compared to students from other universities food science programs. The assessment of the program will identify areas that worked and areas that would need modifying for the program to meet its objective for the next group of students. Finally, alumni surveys (incorporating modern technology) will allow a final reflection of the process and program after employment for two years.