TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The College of Southern Idaho is receiving a federal grant to help the Twin Falls-based school encourage Magic Valley students to attend college and pursue professional careers in agriculture, food and natural resource-related fields.
CSI's NextGen program is one of 33 around the nation receiving grants as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's inaugural From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday.
CSI's five-year, $3.01 million grant will allow the college to embed staff in a dozen rural high schools across the Magic Valley to help students explore career options and help them transition to post-high school programs of study, a spokesperson for the college said in a news release. The grant also will provide scholarships for students interested in agriculture-related programs.
"Much of the future professional workforce in agriculture and ag related industries will be required to have at least some post-secondary education," said CSI President Dean Fisher following the USDA announcement. "This grant will give CSI the resources it needs to help more Magic Valley students achieve their goal of a career in the ag industry while staying close to home."
Dr. Barry Pate, dean of career and technical education at CSI, said many people now in professional ag-related roles in the valley are nearing retirement age.
"This grant will help CSI play a key role in training the next generation of ag professionals in Idaho," Pate said.
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director Dr. Manjit Misra said an important part of CSI's successful grant application was the college's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, recognizing that more than 25% of CSI's student population is of Hispanic descent.
"One goal of the NextGen program is to identify, inspire and prepare our youth, particularly in underrepresented communities, to be the next generation of hunger fighters and agricultural problem solvers," Misra said.
CSI intends to serve more than 400 students with the grant funds, starting in the fall of 2023.
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