The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released an e-application for its USDA/1890 National Scholar Program as an incentive for students to pursue food and agricultural careers at 1890s institutions.
According to a Jan. 17 USDA news release, this marks the first time students can submit an application online. Lisa Ramirez, director of the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, lauded the program.
“The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is crucial to USDA’s efforts to provide career opportunities for the next generation of leaders in food and agriculture,” Ramirez said in the release. “It introduces young people to the vast array of current needs and priorities in food, agriculture and natural resources, at a time in their lives when they are making decisions about their future careers.”
The USDA noted the program is a cooperative effort between the USDA and the 19 historically Black land-grant universities established in 1890, according to the release. The program is a vehicle for the USDA to provide scholarship recipients with full tuition, books, fees and room and board provided they attend one of the universities and pursue a degree in food, natural resources, agriculture or a related field.
In addition to the tuition, fees and room and board, the scholarships also offer recipients the opportunity to gain work experience in the department, according to the news release.
The USDA awarded thousands of scholarships in fiscal year 2022, the most in the history of the program, the release reported. The program provides a crop of skilled employees for the USDA and the agricultural field, which is instrumental in developing the next generation of USDA leadership.
