USDA Awards FVSU $2.25M
Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO
Monday, March 30th, 2020
Fort Valley State University’s College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology (CAFST) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a scholarship program seeking to increase the number of students studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences and other agriculture-related disciplines.
The USDA awarded FVSU $2.25 million. The FVSU 1890 Scholarship Program (1890SP) will provide financial assistance to freshmen and transfer students of up to $8,120 per academic year (up to $32,480 for four years).
Dr. Ralph Noble, dean of FVSU’s CAFST, said the college is excited for this opportunity to recruit, retain and mentor students majoring in FVSU’s agricultural programs.
“Through this FVSU 1890SP, we are committed to supporting high achieving students on their educational journey and preparing them for future careers in the food and agricultural sciences,” he said. “Agriculture has changed from the days when our parents and grandparents worked the farm. Today, we address challenges in health, food security, globalization and family through robots, drones, science and biotechnology.”
Noble emphasized that it is an exciting time to be involved in agriculture. “Our mission as an 1890 Land-Grant University is to create a pipeline for minority students to enter the agricultural workforce. We can take you there,” he said.
The dean also thanked Congressmen David Scott and Sanford Bishop and Senator David Perdue for their persistence and effort on this grant, which will benefit not only FVSU, but all 1890 Land-Grant Universities. “Because of their labor and drive, this project has come to fruition,” Noble said.
In addition, Dr. T. Ramon Stuart, FVSU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the FVSU 1890SP is a wonderful opportunity for young scholars interested in 21st-century agriculture.
“Given the significant role that agriculture plays in Georgia, our nation and throughout the world, it delights me to know that we now have resources to help students get a quality education in an agriculture or agriculture-related field while providing scholarship opportunities that make a college degree affordable and accessible for students today who strive to be the agriculture leaders of tomorrow,” Stuart said.
As part of the program, students will receive professional development assistance, including mentoring, preparation for internships and career readiness counseling.
The prospective scholars who are awarded scholarships under the program will be divided into two categories:
Those with a GPA of 3.0 to 3.5 will receive $6,132 per academic year for four years.
Those with a GPA greater than 3.5 will receive $8,120 per academic year for four years.
The FVSU 1890SP is in conjunction with the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE). The program facilitates partnerships, as well as offers education and resources, to foster hope and opportunity, wealth creation and asset building in rural and underserved communities.
