U.S. Department of Agriculture announced two initiatives to increase access to USDA programs in the Hispanic community.
According to a Nov. 29 news release, the department will renew the USDA-HACU Leadership Group with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. USDA is also accepting applications for the 2023 E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program which brings faculty and staff of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to Washington, D.C. to learn more about USDA resources.
"USDA is committed to centering Latino voices and experiences to provide equitable access to programming," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release. "Our partnership with HACU through this Leadership Group is crucial to providing leadership and strategic direction for USDA's work with Hispanic-serving institutions."
The USDA-HACU Leadership Group aims to have Hispanic community members equally participate in and gain from USDA employment and education programs, resources and services, the release reported. USDA-HACU was created by a Memorandum of Understanding between HACU and Vilsack, signed Aug. 25, 2021. The USDA-HACU Leadership Group is made up of equal numbers of presidents from Hispanic-serving Institutions and USDA representatives.
Established in 1998 by a previous USDA-HACU Leadership Group, E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program participants learn more about USDA programs and resources through a two-week program, according to the release. Science faculty are able to work with USDA scientists through science fellowships. The first week is spent in Washington and the second week at a USDA research facility.
Fellowships applications are due by March 1, 2023, for next summer's fellowships, the release reported.
