Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received one of just six institutional grants to be awarded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP).

Steve Williams, instructional design coordinator in Information and Communication Technologies, and Anatoliy Tmanov, coordinator of international programs, help develop online courses as part of the NSEP project.

The U.S. Department of Defense will provide $421,873 over four years to Penn State’s Russian and Ukrainian Programs for Future Agricultural Leaders, which will support development of Russian and Ukrainian language and culture courses designed for agricultural students in preparation for study and work opportunities in those countries.

Of the six grants, Penn State’s is one of just two to receive the four-year nsep maximum award. Tom Bruening, coordinator of the college’s International Agriculture minor, believes that’s because of the unique study-abroad model that Penn State developed.

“Students study as a group, they obtain credits from their own university, they work together in groups, and they work with Russian students,” he says. “The students learn about agricultural advancement within the context of a developing country. United States professors are a key part of this study-abroad program.

“Penn State actually is playing the leadership role in a consortium of universities,” he explains. “Montana State, the universities of Nebraska, Maryland, and Florida, and Texas A&M are involved in the Russian Studies program. Iowa State, Ohio State, the University of Minnesota, and Alabama A&M are partner universities in the Ukrainian Studies Program.”

Language and cultural courses taught by Penn State professors will be offered over the Internet through collaborative efforts between the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages in the College of the Liberal Arts. The cultures courses will have major agricultural components.

According to Deanna Behring, the college’s director of international programs, the grant will give agriculture students the opportunity to better understand foreign languages and cultures. “Our future leaders will be better prepared to deal with global pressures related to agriculture, such as food security for a growing population, pressures on natural resources, rural incomes, poverty, and international trade,” she says. “These factors can lead to civil conflict and present unique and growing national security concerns for the 21st century.”

Behring believes that by giving students language skills, cultural understanding, and experiences in the former Soviet states, the program will yield a cadre of future leaders who can help develop growing markets for U.S. agricultural products.

“Students participating in this program will be those who will likely deflect trade and other disputes related to agriculture and food security,” she says, “as well as help develop farm incomes and improve health status in rural areas, contributing to stable Russian and Ukrainian societies.”

The NSEP was created in 1991 by the National Security Education Act. The goals of the program are to educate U.S. citizens to understand foreign languages and cultures, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness, and enhance international cooperation and security.

—Jeff Mulhollem