Volume 2, Issue 3
Text here
Sincerely,
Staci L. Simonich, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Dean and Reub Long Professor
College of Agricultural Sciences
Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station
Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence
This Strategic Action Plan of the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) is the result of 16 months of engagement, listening, and study to identify and prioritize actionable goals and strategies to improve opportunities and outcomes for underrepresented students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders of the College. Altogether, a total of 709 CAS community members, friends, and colleagues directly engaged with and contributed to the development of this plan, via committee discussions, focus group conversations, survey inputs, and consultations with OSU equity leaders.
CAS has a mission to make tomorrow better for everyone, by seeking a critical balance between production and conservation. A requisite component of the CAS mission is an obligation to reflect the composition of the society we serve and to equitably include and engage historically excluded and underserved communities. This Strategic Action Plan is living plan that will be regularly reviewed, revisited, and refined in pursuit of achieving stated goals and advancing Inclusive Excellence across CAS. The Strategic Action Plan is also a community plan that values, engages, and supports the success of all members of the CAS community, and particularly those that have been historically underserved.
The plan’s four strategic goals are:
GOAL 1: Embed, integrate, and advance inclusive excellence within all aspects of CAS.
GOAL 2: Improve recruitment and retention of employees, students, and volunteers from underrepresented communities.
GOAL 3: Create an inclusive, welcoming college and workplace climate to support a sense of belonging and equitable learning, training, and working experiences.
GOAL 4: The portfolio of research, teaching, Extension, and service across
As part of the College's investment in advancing access to STEM fields for historically underrepresented communities, we regularly advertise in the national Diversity in Action magazine that shares that vision. The past few ads are below.
The College of Agricultural Sciences is fortunate to benefit from the contributions of many current and former members of the U.S. military — students, faculty, staff, alumni, and many others.
In honor of Veterans Day 2023, we have compiled some of their stories.
Thank you for all who serve.
Embracing Culture and Global Agricultural Leadership Initiatives
For MANRRS Region VI Undergraduate Student Vice President, Victoria Flores Parra, a senior-standing student in Animal Sciences major, this has been a busy term. She attended the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) “Building the Next Generation of Leaders in Agriculture” hosted by the North American Agriculture Advisory Network (NAAAN), Oct. 17-19 in Denver, CO. As a study abroad participant in two CAS Faculty-Led programs, Victoria was able to share her experiences from Mexico and New Zealand. Also attending, GFRAS, Dave Stone, CAS Associate Dean for International Programs, had to say about Victoria, “Such a stellar person.”
She then was selected by National SACNAS as C.O.L.O.R. scholar and attended the National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR, Oct. 25-28, 2023. With little respite between, she heads off this week to MANRRS Region VI Cluster Workshop in Las Vegas, NV, Nov. 10-12, with 16 OSU students. As a National MANRRS Officer, Victoria will be organizing contests, serving as emcee, and assisting with overall workshop organizing.
“Victoria is an outstanding leader, mentor and role model for both MANRRS and SACNAS Chapter members. She leads with professionalism, and organization. She continually strives to provide culturally-responsive representation in our region and nationally.” Clarisa Caballero-Ignacio, OSU MANRRS and SACNAS Chapter Advisor, CAS Coordinator of Student Outreach and Retention.
Two OSU Chapter students: Jimena Caballero Ignacio, SACNAS Chapter President, and Victoria Flores Parra, received Chapter Officer Leadership October Retreat (C.O.L.O.R.) scholarships and attended a full day of leadership building with other scholars from across the country at the NDiSTEM, the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the U.S. Over the course of the conference, college-level through professional attendees become immersed in cutting-edge STEM research, professional development sessions, motivational keynote speakers, and the Graduate School & Career Expo Hall, as well as multicultural celebrations in a broadly inclusive space that encourages and empowers participants to bring their whole selves to STEM.
The CAS Marketing & Communications team won the Platinum award for the Diversity in Action ad campaign in the national MarComm awards. This puts our work in competition with the leading marketing and communications campaigns not just from other academic institutions, but from the private sector and other non-profit organizations in the nation.
