Texas A&M AgriLife’s mission is to be responsive to all Texans. We strive to improve the lives and environments of every Texan through education, research, extension and service. To accomplish our mission and fulfill our land-grant purpose, we must create an environment that welcomes all perspectives and prioritizes diversity and inclusion across our programs and activities.
AgriLife’s Commitment to Inclusive Excellence
We know that the greatest challenges facing us are incredibly complex and will require diverse teams who can work collaboratively and innovatively. We are proud of our progress to date and know that our work is not done. A few important initiatives include:
Increase diversity among our research community.
In a collaborative effort with the Texas A&M Office of Diversity, AgriLife will launch a new postdoctoral fellowship program to supplement the existing programs offered through Accountability, Climate, Equity and Scholarships (ACES) Fellows Program.
Offer further educational opportunities in cultural competency.
With the guidance of the Department of Multicultural Services, AgriLife will create a new certificate program in cultural competency. It will integrate programs, courses and service learning to help students prepare for participation in the modern global economy.
Encourage civil dialogue surrounding racial issues.
In a joint effort with Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, AgriLife trained the first cohort of AgriLife Extension employees to help communities engage in civil dialogues around racial issues as part of the Coming Together for Racial Understanding Initiative from the Southern Rural Development Center and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy.
Work towards improving the health of underserved populations.
AgriLife launched an AgriLife Research Seed Grant Initiative in social and behavioral sciences. The priority areas for this research initiative include a focus on reaching and improving the health of underserved populations.
Continue focusing on diversity and inclusion.
AgriLife is creating the Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Board on Inclusive Excellence. The board members will create future action items and plans to continue improving the state of diversity within AgriLife. We are now accepting nominations for board membership.