CANR meets academic needs to prepare students for their futures

February 01, 2020

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources added a new undergraduate minor, several masters programs and a certificate program. CANR also established new state, national and international partnerships.

MSU Department of Forestry faculty member Asia Dowtin (left) talks with Sasha Bell, a graduate student in her second year at MSU. Bell previously studied at Medgar Evers College.

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) doesn’t just follow trends in higher education. Oftentimes faculty and staff members set the trends, uncovering new ways to help students succeed and prepare them for future careers in food, health, agriculture and the environment.

“Our people, programs and learning experiences in the CANR unite students from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, forming a community of leaders ready to change the world,” said Kelly Millenbah, CANR senior associate dean, and director of academic and student affairs. “We aim to provide opportunities for students to put their knowledge into practice on campus, in Michigan and around the world.”

For example, several new programs and partnerships with other higher education institutions have been added over the past year to enrich student learning.

New programs

Fall 2018 semester:

Sustainable Bioproducts Science and Technology (minor): Department of Forestry

Spring 2019 semester:

Nutrition and Dietetics (master of science): Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Fall 2019 semester:

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Education (master of arts): Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics
Food Processing, Technology and Safety (certificate program): Institute of Agricultural Technology

New partnerships

Michigan State University (MSU) and the CANR finalized collaborations with higher education institutions in Michigan, New York and China.

Bay College

The MSU Institute of Agricultural Technology (IAT) added Bay College, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, as its 13^th community college partner offering agricultural learning for students during the fall 2019 semester. The partnership provides individuals in the Escanaba area with the opportunity to complete an associate degree in agriculture from Bay College and an agricultural operations IAT certificate as part of the MSU program.

Medgar Evers College

MSU and the CANR is collaborating with Medgar Evers College (MEC) to fill the growing demand for trained foresters and increase the number of forestry students from minority communities. MEC is a midsized, predominantly black institute offering undergraduate programs in Brooklyn, New York. The partnership also expands graduate program opportunities for MEC students.

Beginning in fall 2019, the 3+2 degree program enables students to spend three years at MEC followed by two years at MSU. At the end, successful students will have received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from MEC and a master’s degree in forestry from MSU. A professional internship is completed after their studies.

Nanjing Agricultural University

MSU will offer a dual-degree program with Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. The Ministry of Education in China approved the proposal in June 2019, and programming will begin in 2020.

Participating MSU programs include:

Food Science (bachelor of science): Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Biosystems Engineering (bachelor of science): Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

This article was published in In the Field, a yearly magazine produced by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University. To view past issues of In the Field, visit www.canr.msu.edu/inthefield. For more information, email Holly Whetstone, editor, at whetst11@msu.edu or call 517-355-0123.