Students from underrepresented groups are being recruited by New Mexico State University and California State University-Chico for a new program aimed at helping them join the nation's food and agricultural sciences workforce.

The joint program will train more students from minority groups for competitive agriculture careers.

Jennifer Hernandez Gifford, associate professor of animal science at New Mexico State University and the program's director, said 40% to 50% of undergraduates at both universities studying animal sciences are of Hispanic descent, but it drops to 13% at the graduate level.

"That's not in line with us being able to get those students into those leadership roles that require a secondary degree," Hernandez Gifford pointed out. "So, we're really targeting that. We're trying to help bolster that group."

The program is funded by an almost $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In 2022, the agency announced a total allocation of $14 million to Hispanic-serving institutions to support student learning in the agriculture and human science sectors.

Hernandez Gifford noted many Hispanic and Indigenous undergraduates are first-generation students who face severe financial hardships if they also support themselves or their families, which makes the grant money critical for many.

"That means that they're not working at Walmart 'til midnight, then trying to go to school in the morning," Hernandez Gifford observed. "We're not just saying, 'Here's a scholarship, go to class.' We're saying, 'I'm going to give you a stipend.' So, this program's really very much about setting up a community."

She added the collaboration between universities will give more students a chance to aim their sights on an ag career, because Chico State has a strong undergrad program in animal science but lacks a graduate program, where New Mexico State has both.

The program, which runs through 2026, currently has three graduate students at New Mexico State.

A group of West Virginia Democratic delegates is calling for a special session to address West Virginia University's budget shortfall.

Del. Evan Hansen, D-Morgantown, said the legislature shares responsibility for the university's budget crisis, which has resulted in plans to slash 143 faculty positions and eliminate nearly 30 majors. The university's board approved the cuts last week.

Hansen pointed out that over the years, the university's funding has declined by tens of millions of dollars, and added people statewide will feel the impacts of a diminished university system.

"It's a big hit on the local economy and on the regional economy, and for the families of people who are losing their jobs," Hansen noted. "Across the state, there's a lot less discretionary funds available for various programs that provide services in counties all across West Virginia."

The university is facing a $45 million deficit, which its president, E. Gordon Gee, said is due to declining state funding and decreased enrollment. In addition to Hansen, three other delegates are asking the governor to call the legislature into session to support the university.

Hansen emphasized some of the programs targeted for cuts related to diversifying the energy sector and others, have value for the employers and businesses in the Mountain State.

"For example, the public administration program is very important in West Virginia," Hansen outlined. "The parks and recreation program that's being eliminated is something that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, given that we're leaning into an outdoor recreation and tourism based economy. "

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, West Virginia is rapidly losing its population, and is among more than a dozen states experiencing population losses between 2021 and 2022.


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A bill passed during Nevada's last legislative session requires Nevada students in public high schools to learn about economics and financial literacy. But a report from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Milken Institute shows many people across the country, young and old, lack the basic knowledge to make smart financial decisions.

Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, said in order to bridge the equity gap around the country, it has partnered with Capital One to offer a free financial education program that is available online.

"Before I even started tutoring my cousins and started Khan Academy, I worked in finance," he said. "I saw the gap that was there, even among folks with professional degrees and college degrees, but we were always looking for a way to resource this and to really get it into the classroom."

Khan added the virtual course allows individuals to learn at their own pace and from wherever they choose. According to the FINRA Foundation, people with higher financial literacy are less likely to have late fees or make only minimum payments on their credit cards.

Kerone Vatel, head of community impact and investment with Capital One, said younger generations across the country are experiencing "angst" when it comes to what she calls "adulting." She added Capital One is excited to join Khan Academy to help people of all ages foster financial wellbeing. Vatel explained there are a lot of things to navigate in today's world, from student debt and credit-card debt to eventually figuring out whether to purchase or rent a home in today's economy.

"So there is a very practical fallout from this," Vatel continued. "We see from research that students who engage in high-quality financial literacy education are twice as likely to save. We know that unexpected things happen in life. Two years ago, I had a major health scare."

The lessons and curriculum, independently developed by Khan Academy, will help people take better control of their finances and let them examine their own spending habits to foster saving over time, Vatel said.

The complex and confusing process of applying to college is thought to be contributing to a decline in the number of high school graduates who go on to higher education. Now, a nonprofit is stepping in with a challenge to those institutions.

In a new survey of 16- to 22-year-olds, more than half said applying for college is their "most stressful academic experience" so far. That led the Lumina Foundation to launch The Great Admissions Redesign.

To improve the application process, said Lumina strategy director Melanie Heath, almost $3 million is being offered to state higher-ed systems, where enrollment has declined across the board "in all types of different degree programs, among all ages of students, among all races of students - particularly for students of color."

In Texas and elsewhere, pandemic disruptions led many typically bound for college to jump into the workforce, where good-paying jobs were on the rise.

More information about The Great Admissions Redesign is online at luminafoundation.org.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that consideration of race in college admissions violates the Constitution, effectively ending the attempts by many universities to increase diversity. In Texas, the decision primarily impacts the University of Texas at Austin, where race was considered in undergraduate admissions, along with many private universities.

Heath said changing the decades-old admission process will require a heavy lift.

"Simplifying admissions is not something that can be done institution by institution," she said. "What's really needed is something at the system or state level - or at least, with three or more institutions."

She said proposals will need to demonstrate that the application process would increase college opportunities for students of color or low-income households, and first-time attendees.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.