UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --As a student at Ringgold High School, Arthur Hawkins had his sights set on college and was considering many career options. Agriculture wasn't one of them, until a Penn State program showed him that there are more occupations in agriculture than being a farmer.

Hawkins, son of Arthur and Gwen Hawkins of Eighty Four, Pa., was selected to participate in the Minority Student Apprenticeships in Agriculture (MSAA) program, sponsored each year by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Before attending the five-week program, he says, he had a very limited sense of the opportunities in agriculture -- and even less interest.

"I thought they'd teach me about farm machinery and farming techniques," Hawkins says, "but I came because my guidance counselor, Mrs. (Mary Ann) Baker, said I would learn more about campus life and the different fields included in the agricultural sciences. Now, I might like to study agricultural engineering, and I've learned a lot about community service and leadership as a part of agriculture."

The apprenticeship program brings minority students to Penn State's University Park campus for a five-week immersion in college life and agricultural research. They live in the dorms and work closely with College of Agricultural Sciences faculty, doing research in areas that include food science, agronomy, horticulture, agricultural economics, genetics and plant pathology.

"Arthur was the first person I thought of for the summer program," says Mary Ann Baker. "He's a very intelligent young man from a family that places high value on education. Before the apprenticeship, he was a lot like other students: when he thought of agriculture, he thought of farming. Now he knows much more about opportunities in agriculture and natural resources. When Arthur returned to school, I could tell that he had learned a lot. He was very impressed with the professors that he met; he talked about them again and again."

Baker set up a meeting for Hawkins with James Locker, Jr., coordinator of minority student outreach for the college in western Pennsylvania and a graduate of Ringgold. Locker says that he was very much like Hawkins as a young man growing up.

"I grew up in a rural area, too, and all I knew about agriculture was 'cows and plows'," Locker says. "When I met Arthur, I wanted him to consider with an open mind the many career opportunities agriculture has to offer. So I coordinated a visit to University Park, then encouraged Arthur to participate in the apprenticeship program."

Penn State's MSAA program also gives participants pre-college academic and career counseling with an emphasis on jobs in agriculture and natural resources. Each participant is assigned to a faculty member who involves the student in their ongoing research. Attempts are made to match the faculty with the student's science interest -- plants, economics, engineering, and so on.

Participants must be entering their senior year in high school, have a grade point average of "B" or better in a college preparatory program, and be Pennsylvania residents. The program's goal is to attract members of ethnic and racial groups that are underrepresented in the agricultural sciences, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians. That often means catching prospective students while they're still young, says program coordinator Catherine Lyons.

"We want to get the attention of young people who've not yet made hard-and-fast career choices, then talk about what we have to offer in the college," Lyons says. "For so long, these kids would tune out as soon as they heard the word, 'agriculture.' But when they realize one in six jobs in our economy is agriculture-related, and learn of the opportunities to develop skills and take leadership roles in important industries, they begin to see things differently. They return to their high schools and talk about agriculture at length to teachers, peers, friends and their churches. That can help us broaden agriculture's image beyond just farm production."

There are no costs to participants, and each participant receives a small stipend for the five-week period, as well as a travel subsidy. Applications for the 2001 program can be obtained from Catherine G. Lyons, the college's assistant to the dean for minority affairs, at 101 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802, or by calling 814-865-7521.

As a recent participant, Hawkins is enthusiastic in recommending the program for qualified Ringgold students. "I tell people that, even if they don't think they're interested in the agricultural sciences, they can still get a feel for campus life," he says. "I've already talked to one student, and he'll be applying for this year's program."

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Catherine Lyons at 814-865-7521.

Contacts: Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-865-1068 fax