The USDA announced two tribal higher education opportunities for 2024 to help increase equity in the department and strengthen bonds with tribal institutions.
The new four-year tuition coverage for the Tribal Scholars Program and an Indio Tribal Faculty Fellowship Program is offered to expand USDA knowledge and promote jobs with them.
There are 36 federally recognized tribal colleges or universities that are land-grant institutions through the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. The U.S. Department of Agriculture to collaborate with TCUs to enforce equity by eliminating systemic barriers.
According to a news release, the USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program provides a fast-track career path for graduates with the USDA.
It’s expanded from offering full tuition from a two-year associate degree to a four-year bachelor program.
It will also continue to provide books, full tuition, paid workforce training, fees and a housing stipend to students interested in pursuing natural resource sciences, food, agriculture or similar academic degrees at a TCU.
The 27 scholarship slots for fiscal year 2024 are available at Farm Production and Conservation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Forest Service, Agriculture Research Service and the Farm Service Agency.
After a student completes the scholarship requirements, which also includes a paid internship, the USDA said they may hire the graduate as a permanent USDA employee without further competition.
Eligible applicants include recent TCU associate degree graduates, graduating high school seniors and full-time students who are enrolled at a 1994 land-grant TCU.
The faculty fellowship program aims to reinforce TCU research capacities and introduce the faculty and staff to USDA programs and services.
In June 2024, the program will bring Faculty Fellows to Washington, D.C. to learn about USDA resources, meet with USDA program leaders and identify areas for collaboration during the first week. Throughout the second week, the Fellows are assigned to a USDA research facility that best suits their academic research interests.
The research collaborations in 2024 will occur with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and the Forest Service.
This opportunity allows the Faculty Fellows to advance their knowledge with their Tribal college land-grant mission of extension, research and education and to provide further educational assets to their community with cooperative research opportunities.
“Tribal land-grant colleges are central to empowering a workforce that better reflects our clients in agriculture, nutrition, food, development – and at USDA,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “USDA is committed to making USDA programs and services more accessible to tribal colleges and universities and their students and faculty.”
The deadlines for both the scholarships and fellowships are Dec. 1.
Visit the USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program or email 1994@usda.gov for more information on the Tribal Scholars Program.
To learn more about the Faculty Fellowship, visit the USDA’s Tribal College Program website.
