Project ACCESS

Murray State University, Murray KY

Investigators

Abstract

A critical and timely issue facing the U.S. Food and Agricultural system in the 21st century is how to provide highly technical and qualified agricultural individuals to meet demands of the industry within the new millennium. To address the region's agricultural industry requirements, Murray State University has partnered with three community colleges located in Henderson, Hopkinsville, and Madisonville, Kentucky, to form Agriculture Consortium for Comprehensive Education, Service and Support of Project ACCESS. The project is focusing on providing a solid mechanism to develop a highly trained and qualified agricultural workforce for western Kentucky, and neighboring regions. This well-trained and qualified agricultural cohort is being developed mainly through higher-level agriscience technology curriculums at the associate and baccalaureate levels. A major goal of the project is to increase access for students and agriculture workers into these modified agriscience technology programs by developing a joint, cutting edge, and articulated agriscience technology baccalaureate program. Other specific goals are to: (1) to strengthen and raise the level of educational expertise in the national agriculture system, (2) to provide increased student and agricultural worker "ACCESS" into associate and baccalaureate agriscience degree programs, and (3) to strengthen a regional and state agriculture system to be highly competitive in the global economy. Project objectives are to: (1) develop a wide-entry, multiple-exit and seamless agriculture educational system from high school through the baccalaureate level in the articulation partnership service region by June, 2005 (2) continue to raise the current academic level of Associate degree programs to allow for a successful transition of an increasing number of students into the workforce and/or a baccalaureate degree program by June, 2005 (3) develop an articulated joint baccalaureate Agriscience technology curriculum by August, 2003, and (4) increase the current matriculation rate of western Kentucky students into all educational levels of Agriscience technology by 25% by June, 2005.