CASNR Helps Change the Face of Agriculture
by Nancy PotterMore than 40 years ago, higher education opened its doors to people who previously had seen the doors locked. As the doors opened, colleges and universities saw women and minorities begin to take advantage of educational opportunities.
Women and ethnic minorities slowly have begun to break into fields like the agricultural sciences and careers as academic faculty.
Oklahoma State University's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources' students and faculty break these historic gender and racial barriers every day.
Since 2001, minority and female enrollment in CASNR has increased. Women currently constitute about 48 percent of CASNR students, which is up 7.3 percent since 2001. The enrollment of Hispanics has increased 10.7 percent, while that of African-Americans and Native Americans have increased about 25 percent. Asian-American enrollment has increased by the greatest amount with a 155.6 percent increase.
Administration and faculty desires to broaden CASNR's student body have fueled the enrollment increases. This change is taking place not only at OSU and CASNR but also in agriculture.
Women as CASNR faculty
Jacque Fletcher has witnessed the change firsthand. Fletcher has been a professor at OSU for 21 years.
As a doctoral student at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, studying plant pathology, she did not have any female professors to look to as mentors.
In fact, there were few women in the field at that time. Because of this, Fletcher never saw a woman balance a professional career and home life.
Now, she is ensuring female students in the OSU Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology do not have that void.
Fletcher works to show the women she mentors they can develop their careers in such a way as to have a well-balanced life.
Fletcher said she hopes because of women like herself who forged the way for women in the sciences, women will no longer have to choose between a career and a family.
Fletcher said women should "go for it" if they are contemplating a CASNR degree in a science field, which is usually dominated by men. She said women will find many opportunities, assistance, support and mentoring from CASNR faculty.
"The future is bright for women," Fletcher said.
American Indians as CASNR students
Cara Cowan Watts, a Cherokee, is making the most of her bright future at OSU through CASNR.
Watts received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's in telecommunications management from OSU. She has chosen CASNR to pursue her doctoral degree in biosystems engineering.
As an American Indian active in her community, a community tied to agriculture, she wanted a program that shared her commitment to effecting change and being actively involved in the community. Watts said she found that in CASNR.
"Faculty members in CASNR are fighting to preserve and conserve our natural resources and are very passionate about it," Watts said. "These are concerns very close to the American Indian community."
Watts said minority groups tend to have "holes" in their education.
"When these holes are filled, all groups will be successful," she said.
CASNR is recruiting students with strong interests in biotechnology, science, engineering and areas that at one time were not considered to be agriculture-oriented.
Programs like The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program, of which Watts is a part, are designed to strengthen the preparation and increase minority students in underrepresented fields.
The LSAMP program has the long-term goal of increasing the production of doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields with an emphasis on entry into faculty positions.
The LSAMP program has given Watts the opportunity to focus on school without financial worries. Through the program she has found mentors and people who always are available to ask for help. CASNR's participation in the program was one of the driving forces of her decision to join the college.
African Americans as CASNR students
Matthew Nash is also in the LSAMP program. Nash is an African-American student majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Nash said he decided on OSU because he was offered large scholarships, but his decision to join CASNR was based on the faculty.
"The biochemistry program took interest in me immediately and made me feel special," Nash said.
Nash has not seen his minority status raise any hurdles for him at OSU or in CASNR, he said.
"The faculty make themselves available whenever you need them," Nash said. "I know I can walk in without an appointment and never get turned away."
Nash has found CASNR faculty and staff to be helpful in many ways. They send him information about scholarships, summer internships and tutoring. They also alert him to information on how to better manage his college life and opportunities including club meetings.
Women in CASNR math and science fields
Kristin Stephens knows she is one of the few women at OSU studying engineering, but she does not seem to notice. She is an undergraduate in the OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, where she serves as the president of the student section of The Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Stephens grew up interested in farm machinery and always wanted to study mechanical systems. She found CASNR provided a welcome and friendly atmosphere and an education that fit her interests.
Stephens said CASNR is open to her as a woman and the faculty is helpful. She said she has never felt she was at a disadvantage in the mostly male engineering field.
"In fact, I have found I have an advantage over my male counterparts because I am able to bring different viewpoints to the field," Stephens said.
Although traditionally women have not been thought of as strong in math and science, Stephens encouraged women to pursue degrees in such fields.
"Don't let stereotypes scare or deter you," Stephens said. "There are many opportunities for women.
"I have never felt at a disadvantage because I am a woman."
Organizations focused on high school students also are helping to reshape stereotypes in agriculture. FFA, for example, now offers scholarships to minorities wishing to pursue studies in agriculture.
Asian Americans as CASNR students
Tony Subketkaew had an agricultural background in the FFA during high school and said he wanted to do something agriculturally related when he got to college. The agricultural economics major fits his career interests perfectly.
"I'm glad I found the right fit," Subketkaew said.
Subketkaew, who is Thai, is an agricultural economics junior. An attractive scholarship program influenced his decision to attend OSU. He said his decision to become a part of CASNR seemed only natural to him after his experience in the FFA.
Subketkaew said CASNR does a great job of recruiting and retaining minority students.
"Most minorities within CASNR tend to stay here for the duration of their undergraduate career, so it seems we are doing something very well," Subketkaew said.
Subketkaew said CASNR's study-abroad programs are one of its strongest appeals to minority students. A lot of minorities, even from different academic colleges, choose to partake in CASNR study-abroad programs.
Through these programs, students experience their ancestral country, and some programs include experiences that would be inaccessible to actual citizens.
"The college manages to provide a level playing field for everyone," Subketkaew said. "Everyone has equal opportunities as far as academics or activities are concerned."
Subketkaew said too many minority students choose to exile themselves to the few students to whom they can relate.
"Although this comfort zone provides a degree of safety for them, they are truly missing out by not participating actively on the campus," Subketkaew said.
His advice to minority students?
"Try to expose yourself to some of the culture Stillwater has to offer," he said. "If anything, I have found that most Oklahomans appreciate the differences brought to Stillwater by other cultures."
CASNR always has been a technological leader in the field of agriculture. Now, they are successfully working to lead other institutions in increasing opportunities for minorities and women in agriculture.
For more information about opportunities for minorities, call the Multicultural Student Center at (405) 744-5481 or visit www.msc.okstate.edu.