Joint Grant Merges the Resources of NC A&T and UNCG



January 10, 1997

Greensboro, NC: Two Greensboro universities will combine forces and optimize technology in the creation of a model internship program. Made possible with a recent USDA capacity building grant, the new program will draw resources from both North Carolina A&T State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, as it works to increase the number of well-trained minority candidates for positions in the family and consumer sciences.

"This project brings together the resources of three outstanding universities," said Dr. Daniel D. Godfrey, dean of the NC A&T School of Agriculture. "By working together and sharing resources, we hope to create a program that we and other institutions can use in addressing the shortage of qualified job candidates in family and consumer sciences."

Students in the A&T's Department of Family and Consumer Sciences have the opportunity to prepare themselves for challenging and rewarding careers through programs in family and consumer sciences education, with concentrations in such areas as fashion merchandising and design, child development, and dietetics.

Internship Success: Student Professional Development and Career Placement, a project directed by Dr. Carolyn Turner, an associate professor with the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at NC A&T, is directed toward developing a model internship program to be shared with other universities. According to Turner, the internship program will enhance experiential learning, assist in job placement, and improve minority presence in the food and family sciences.

"We've surveyed a number of our recent graduates and found that the largest barrier they encountered when seeking employment in the field is a lack of on-the-job experience," said Turner. "The internship program will help our students, and students at other universities, bridge the gap between a college education and practical experience."

To accomplish this goal, the project will: create linkages with industry, agencies and universities; use state-of-the-art educational applications and manuals to support and enhance the internship program; and share products and procedures with other universities through a variety of outlets, including teleconferences, the Internet, and workshops.

"USDA's involvement with the project gives interns more opportunities for experiential learning experiences," said Turner. "In addition, we plan to enhance the linkages we already have with other agencies, industries and universities, and to develop other linkages as the opportunity arises."

UNCG and Virginia Tech will be involved in designing two program manuals and in developing multimedia technology to accompany the program. One of the manuals will be designed to give students clear information on the guidelines and requirements of various internship opportunities, while the other manual will guide university faculty and administrators in developing an optimum internship program.

In addition to the manuals, the project will introduce multimedia computer applications to internship programs. These applications will allow students to research companies and their internship opportunities, and to view videos detailing the internship experience from both past intern and company supervisor perspectives.

Since the project's focal goal is developing a program to be shared among universities, plans are in place to distribute and demonstrate the model program's applications and procedures. To do this, project participants will use a variety of means, among them: workshops, teleconferences and the Internet.

The 1890 Institution Teaching and Research Capacity Building Grants Program is designed to strengthen collaboration among the 1890 institutions, and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and private industry. Other goals include advancing cultural diversity in the food and agricultural fields, and
enhancing the quality of teaching and research programs at historically black land grant institutions.

The Capacity Building Grants Program is competitive, and is administered by the Higher Education Programs office in the Science and Education Resources Development division of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.

The program provides grants for teaching and research projects in high priority areas. Project coordinators are encouraged to seek matching support from non-federal sources, and cooperation with one or more USDA agencies is required.

This project received $202,480 in funding from Capacity Building Grants Program, and will involve two USDA agencies: the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and Food and Consumer Service.
Project participants from NC A&T are Carolyn Turner, Aubrey Mendonca and Jane Walker; from UNCG, Sarah Shoffner and Fay Gibson.

- 30 -

For more information, please call Dr. Carolyn Turner, NC A&T School of Agriculture, (336) 334-7692; or Dr. Sarah Shoffner, UNCG School of Human Environmental Sciences, (336) 334-5307.