Multicultural Scholars Program

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The purpose of the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program is to provide scholarships to support recruiting, engaging, retaining, mentoring, and training committed, eligible multicultural scholars, resulting in either baccalaureate degrees within the food and agricultural sciences disciplines or the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree. The scholarships are intended to encourage outstanding students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented and underserved in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) specifically for the USDA mission sciences, to pursue and complete baccalaureate degrees in food and agricultural sciences, or achieve a D.V.M. that would lead to a diverse and highly skilled work force. Applications are sought for student education that will: (i)prepare graduates to meet the demand for highly qualified personnel entering the STEM workforce within the food and agricultural sciences domain; (ii)pipeline more undergraduates into graduate education in USDA mission sciences; (iii)contribute to the reduction of the disparity among underrepresented and underserved populations entering graduate schools to reflect the demographics of this country and enable the American system of higher education to remain globally competitive; (iv)promote student success within food, agricultural and related science disciplines at the undergraduate/D.V.M. level; and (v)focus on student learning, academic preparation, social support structure, and professional mentoring to ensure entry into food and agricultural sciences areas and completion of graduate education or high level of competitiveness for the workforce.

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