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INVESTIGATOR: Lohakare, J.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
UNIV OF ARKANSAS
PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS 71601

INCREASING MINORITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN THE VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES THROUGH OUTREACH, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Apart from the current and projected need for veterinary and animal science professionals in the US, there is a widely recognized lack of racial diversity within the veterinary profession. This is despite the changing demography of clientele who own livestock and pets. Thus a deliberate effort to increase and diversify this pool of professional work force is needed for enhanced food security and safety. The overall goal of this project is to strengthen and build animal and pre-veterinary science teaching capacity of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) through recruitment outreach, curriculum enhancement and experiential learning. The immediate outcome of the project will be increased enrollment within the animal science program, a strong pre-veterinary program and highly qualified minority students who can succeed in veterinary programs, graduate schools and become leaders in the livestock industry. The specific objectives are to: (i) Initiate and implement a veterinary and animal science career awareness outreach program among minority students , career advisors in middle and high schools and junior colleges and parents to stimulate interest in veterinary and animal sciences; (ii) Develop a comprehensive pre-veterinary training curriculum and strengthen the existing animal science curriculum at UAPB and iii) Maximize retention through advisement, mentoring, internships and providing scholarships to talented students. This project will further the goals of UAPB of attracting and retaining highly qualified students in food and agricultural sciences and also serve to increase the number and diversity of qualified students pursuing veterinary and animal science graduate programs nationally.

OBJECTIVES: The project's overall goal is to build the teaching capacity of UAPB to prepare and graduate highly qualified pre-vet and animal science minority students that are ready and can succeed in veterinary and graduate schools and are prepared to become leading professionals in the food-animal industry. The specific objectives are to: (i) Initiate and implement a veterinary and animal science career awareness outreach program that will focus on high school minority students, school career advisors/counselors, science teachers and parents to stimulate interest in veterinary and animal science careers; (ii) Strengthen the animal science curricula at UAPB and develop a comprehensive pre-veterinary training program and iii) Improve retention and quality of pre-vet and animal science graduates through mentorship, summer internships, scholarships and job shadowing.