After six years of inactivity, the University’s chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) is making a comeback with a kickoff event 6 p.m. tonight.
MANRRS is a national nonprofit organization for minorities who work in agriculture and related sciences as well as students in those disciplines. It partners student and professional members with companies, government agencies and nonprofits to foster academic excellence and professional development among minorities.
Victoria Cleveland, textile and apparel design sophomore and MANRRS public relations committee chair, said the University’s chapter “faded out” a few years ago because its advisor left and few students were involved. Cleveland said interest in reviving MANRRS grew recently, so the group secured College of Agriculture Coordinator of Diversity and Retention Bianca Teats as its new advisor.
The event’s keynote speaker is Jewel Butler, branch chief for the Balanced Workforce Program in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Strategic Workforce Planning and Analysis. Butler was national president of the National Society of MANRRS from 2006 to 2007.
Interim Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach Kenneth Miles and College of Agriculture Dean Kenneth Koonce will also speak at the event.
Koonce, who will retire Monday after 16 years as dean, said MANRRS is a valuable tool for promoting agriculture to minorities. About 30 College of Agriculture students are involved in MANRRS, he said.
Diversity in agriculture and associated education programs is important, Koonce said, because those are fields that reach all citizens through the college’s and AgCenter’s teaching, research and extension missions.
“The more diverse the programs are … the better they’ll be for preparing our students for those activities they’ll be involved in when they graduate,” Koonce said.
“The more diverse the programs are … the better they’ll be for preparing our students for those activities they’ll be involved in when they graduate.”
6 p.m. Thursday in Student Union Atchafalaya Room