First-generation community college students will be the beneficiaries of a $213,532 U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant secured by Jacquelyn Mosley, assistant dean of the U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

The Arkansas Multicultural Scholars FIRST Program (AR-FIRST) stands for Facilitating Inclusion, Reaching Students Together, and will provide scholarships for students to attend the U of A. It focuses on providing opportunities and resources for underrepresented minority, first-generation transfer students, particularly those from rural backgrounds.

The program expands on current transfer partnerships with UA System two-year community colleges to attract and increase the number of transfer students who pursue and complete degrees in agriculture, support transition into graduate education or employment and expand the community of diverse undergraduate agricultural leaders. To be eligible, students must graduate from their community college and select any major offered by Bumpers College.

The grant funds 10 scholarships for the next five years, and covers full tuition and fees for their two years at the U of A.

The primary purpose is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students pursuing agricultural degrees and entering the agriculture workforce in Arkansas.

AR-FIRST will identify strong candidates from community colleges; partner faculty mentors with students, along with academic, financial and social support, and culturally-appropriate mentoring; provide students with educational and career training in their chosen majors; and provide students with research opportunities, internships, career development, cultural competency and leadership training, service learning, and agricultural-based international experiences.

The U of A scholarship application period opens Jan. 1 and applicants must be fully admitted students to the U of A. Information about the scholarships, and U of A and scholarship applications are here.

Bumpers College currently has two-plus-two degree programs for agricultural business and agricultural education with UA-Cossatot; for food science concentrations in food science and food technology with UA-Hope/Texarkana; and food science concentrations in food science and food technology with UA-Morrilton; and a 3+1 programs in poultry science with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas State University and Missouri State University.

Mosley is the program's project director. She said she secured the grant to help provide new opportunities for Bumpers College transfer students.

"AR-FIRST will holistically provide underrepresented first-gen transfer students with a breadth of opportunities to develop leadership and mentorship skills; make them competitive in research, industry or in pursuit of advanced degrees; and increase the number of highly qualified students pursuing agricultural leadership positions," Mosley says. "AR-FIRST will not only impact the U of A, but also the State of Arkansas and its agricultural industry."

Mosley is also a professor of human development and family sciences in Bumpers College's School of Human Environmental Sciences. She also conducts research and outreach work through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service.

Co-directors include Bumpers College's Chris Estepp, associate professor of agricultural education; Isabel Whitehead-Adams, coordinator of the college's honors program; Vicky Watkins, director of curriculum management and international programs; Laykyn Rainbolt, coordinator of undergraduate student recruitment; Lucas Simmons, director of advising and retention specialist; Wendell Scales, Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools; and Ayanna Bledsoe, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

This work is supported by the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program, grant No. 2024-38413-43661/project accession No. 1033030 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policymakers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.