Duration: 10/01/2013 to 09/30/2018

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Rangelands are incredibly dynamic, challenging, and intriguing human environments. The rangeland management profession attracts people who want to work in and manage the grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, and deserts we know as rangeland. In a time of rapidly changing multiple demands for rangeland resources and ecosystem services, the workforce to manage these lands is shrinking and aging. Data from the Office of Personnel Management reveal that 50 to 75% of the range management professionals currently classified as Conservation Scientists will likely retire in the next decade. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates an increase from 18,300 Conservation Scientists in the workforce in 2008 to 20,500 in 2018 (BLS 2009). Data from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics indicate that between 2007 and 2011 about 660 students graduated with a B.S. degree in rangeland management (NCES). This average of 132 students per year falls far short of meeting the future yearly demand of nearly 450 new rangeland management specialists for Federal agencies. The actual shortfall may be much higher because these estimates do not include state agencies, ranching or private sector nongovernmental organization employers.

Where will these new hires be trained? Universities face tremendous budget reductions and the capacity to offer excellent undergraduate rangeland education is limited at many institutions. Rangeland science is unique in the broader scope of the ecological sciences, focusing not only on rangeland ecology but also on integrating ecological and social knowledge into land management decisions. Traditional uses of rangelands such as livestock grazing and mineral extraction continue while the demands for recreation opportunities and green energy development (geothermal, wind, solar, biomass) escalate along with societal expectations for, sustainable ecosystems, fire and fuels management, watershed and water quality management, and fish and wildlife habitat. Importantly, all of this effort must be accomplished through a landscape scale systems approach. Educators of rangeland professionals face the challenge of providing a rangeland science and management curriculum that evolves with the changing demands of a global society. Current and effective rangeland education must address todays challenge of sustainable ecosystems and communities as well as the introduction of new management strategies that will be needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Rangeland science educators at multiple universities express concern that staff reductions and a greater emphasis on research rather than teaching reduce the depth of teaching faculty in many university rangeland programs. This inhibits the breadth of education for future rangeland ecology and management graduates with an education that provides the scientific, social, and technological skills required to meet identified and future challenges.

The knowledge and expertise of all of rangeland academic programs can be broadened considerably through interactive social media and recent advances in rangeland ecology and management pedagogy. Proven distance education strategies along with personal electronic devices and systems continue to revolutionize the classroom. Our overall project goal is to revitalize the training of range management professionals through a coordinated restructuring of rangeland curricula and delivery mechanisms across universities in the western states. Through expansion of the curriculum available at each institution we will increase the number of degree and non-degree-seeking students and ultimately the number of well-trained professionals to manage the rangelands of the world. We propose to coordinate curricula and courses, along with a platform array of delivery approaches to attract students with a variety of backgrounds, interests, learning styles, aspirations, and experiences. Students enrolled in these revitalized rangeland and natural resource programs will gain the knowledge and skills to manage future rangelands for positive economic, environmental, and social outcomes.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

1. Identify through partnership with the National Association of University Range Program Leads (NAURP), Range Science Education Council (RSEC), and the Society for Range Management Program Accreditation Committee, a regional pool of rangeland scientists/educators and use their specific rangeland expertise and other sources of knowledge, such as the experience and needs of rangeland management agencies, landowners, and other stakeholders, to evaluate and recommend curriculum guidelines and graduation requirements with core competencies.


2. Develop a platform for cross-institution delivery of rangeland course work with a mechanism for various colleges and universities to offer classes that can become part of the curriculum and catalog of other member institutions if they choose (e.g. Alliance for Cooperative Course Exchange in the Plant Sciences (http://accepts.uark.edu/join.html ). Such an arrangement will address course fees, payment and compensation for the students institution, the teaching institution, and the maintenance of the system through a coordinating institution. It will determine the duties and responsibilities of the coordinating institution and member institutions. It will determine the process for developing and approving new classes including their method of delivery, course numbering, student grading and credit, and course evaluation. The mechanism will address membership, voluntary and involuntary termination, and other contractual agreements. Alternative examples or models for providing courses across institutions include WICHE-ICE (http://www.wiche.edu/ice), AG*IDEA (http://www.agidea.org/), ExpanSIS (http://iaa.k-state.edu/expansis/), etc.

3. Implement this platform with a memorandum of agreement among a diversity of rangeland ecology and management teaching institutions

4. Evaluate new technologies and a variety of instructional formats including internet-enhanced materials for on-campus classes, online courses, workshops, and intensive field based courses.

5. Evaluate what rangeland ecology and management skills can and cannot be effectively taught online and through other distance technologies

6. Engage existing inter-institutional cooperative extension, information technology, and pedagogy expertise by reaching out to scholars with knowledge of best practices to increase faculty knowledge and make appropriate use of alternative course delivery and assessment technologies;

7. Combine resources from activities 4 and 5 to create and deliver a series of Teacher Development workshops to train teaching faculty at member institutions in the use of new teaching technology/methods.

8. Collaborate with the Range Science Education Council in their efforts to facilitate student access to alternative educational opportunities, and reduce barriers to completing 4-year degrees by supporting the development of an internet catalog of online, distance and intensive workshop-style courses;

9. Improve student recruitment by developing a best practices strategy aimed at creating greater awareness of career opportunities among diverse demographic groups including high school and community college students, Future Farmers of America, and 4-H;

10. Develop a recertification program for rangeland ecology and management professionals and/or a continuing education program for other professionals needing to know more about rangeland ecology and management.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

The Range Science Education Council (RSEC) represents Universities and Colleges that offer courses and degrees in rangeland ecology and management. They recently embarked on a Higher Education Challenge Grant funded by NIFA, Repositioning Rangeland Education for a Changing World (http://www.rangelands.org/RSEC/Overview_Rangeland_HEC_Grant(post-grant).pdf). RSEC objectives are:
" to promote high standards in the teaching of range management
" to advance the professional ability of range managers and scientists
" to provide a medium for the exchange of ideas and facts among range management schools
" to provide a liaison between teaching departments and organizations and agencies in affairs relating to range education and employment standards
" to foster wider understanding of the problems of range education
The RSEC was started as an association of range department chairs and has gradually morphed into a meeting of range teaching faculty. Recently the NAURP has formed as an association of range program leads and there is a close association and considerable overlap between RSEC and NAURP.

The WCC_TEMP1008 will meet in conjunction with the NAURP at the annual meetings of the Society for Range Management. On many projects the NAURP and WCC_TEMP1008 will work collaboratively and seamlessly to advance their mutual interests, such as continuing and implementing the objectives and tasks of the Higher Education Challenge Grant.

If any WCC_TEMP1008 objectives or activities do not align with the interests of the NAURP, members of the WCC_TEMP1008 will meet separately as needed. Opportunities for distance meeting technologies will be used to the degree they are suitable for the work at hand, they will be made available for meeting attendance by those members and advisors who may not be able to attend the meetings in person. This is envisioned as especially useful for pedagogy specialists who may or may not be featured presenters or for administrators or faculty in related disciplines who may not attend SRM meetings. Nontraditional members of NAURP (people from agencies, related disciplines, or pedagogists will be invited to attend, contribute, or join WCC_TEMP1008)

Organization/Governance

To the extent that NAURP and WCC_TEMP1008 work collaboratively and seamlessly to advance their mutual interests, the governance of WCC_TEMP1008 will be the governance of NAURP. Currently the NAURP has a chair. This will be renamed President, to which will be added Vice President, and Secretary. The current officer is and many members are from institutions represented in the current Appendix E. If, or as it becomes necessary for WCC_TEMP1008 to meet separately to achieve specific objectives or conduct specific activities, it will elect its own officers, President, Vice President, and Secretary. One specific procedure and activity (2 above) may require a separate group of signatory institutions to a memorandum of agreement that governs the formal offering of classes at collaborating institutions. Any process for such governance including membership, roles, and responsibilities will be outlined in any such memorandum.

Literature Cited

AG*IDEA, an affiliate of the Great Plains IDEA http://www.agidea.org/

Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLs] 2009. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. Available Online: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos048.htm

ExpanSIS, Student Information System to Extend and Span Multi-Institutional Education http://iaa.k-state.edu/expansis/

Higher Education Challenge Grant funded by National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Repositioning Rangeland Education for a Changing World http://www.rangelands.org/RSEC/Overview_Rangeland_HEC_Grant(post-grant).pdf .

National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] 2008. Bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex of student and discipline division: 2007 11. Available online: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_290.asp

Office of Personal Management [OPM] 2008. An Analysis of Federal Employee Retirement Data. Available online: http://www.opm.gov/feddata/RetirementPaperFinal_v4.pdf

Rangelands eXtension Community of Practices http://www.extension.org/rangelands

RangelandsWest.org http://globalrangelands.org/rangelandswest

Society for Range Management http://www.rangelands.org/,

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Internet Course Exchange (WICHE-ICE) http://www.wiche.edu/ice

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

AK, AZ, MT, NM, NV, OR, WY

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt State University