Abstract
A shortage of skilled graduates with science degrees in natural resources fields exists in the USA due to retirement and climate change challenges. A next generation of natural resources scientists is needed and, due to changing demographics, the majority of them will be people of color. Yet, due to a legacy of racial and ethnic exclusion in STEM fields, higher education institutions have failed to prepare students of color to enter natural resources careers. To address this gap, the Northern New Mexico Climate Change Corps (CCC) bridges community college students to a 4-year university to foster STEM degree completion and job placement of students, who are predominantly Hispanic or Native American, in natural resources fields. The CCC provides student supports at the community college which, like many 2-year colleges in the USA, mostly serves students who are low-income, first generation, and/or students of color. Built upon institutional support and external funding, the five pillars comprising the CCC program model are recruitment and retention, experiential learning, academic and career pathways, strategic partnerships, and cultural connections. A 5-year, mixed methods case study identified specific supports within each pillar that students, faculty, partnering employers, and/or university administrators identified as critical to student success: internships, academic advising, mentoring, professional development, academic stipends, research experiences, degree completion plans, math support, peer support, and field trips. Learning accrued through the CCC’s development and implementation can inform other community colleges, universities, and employers to foster the next generation of natural resources scientists.
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Notes
We use “students of color” to refer to students from racially minoritized groups within the USA, including but not limited to African-Americans, Hispanics or Latinos/as/x, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans. Each of these racial or ethnic groups is underrepresented in the field of natural resources management. The specific program reported here took place at two Hispanic Serving Institutions of higher education; thus, the majority of students served were Hispanic and others were white, Native-American, or of mixed race/ethnicity (Table 1).
The lead author designed and led implementation of the CCC with support from others at UNM-T, NMHU, and partner organizations. The second author led the program’s evaluation.
We use “pathways” rather than “pipeline” to recognize the variety of routes by which individuals enter scientific careers (Cannady, Greenwald & Harris 2014).
Students who left the CCC reported doing so because they changed their major, transferred to a different 4-year school, took a job, or experienced a personal conflict.
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Acknowledgements
Support for the Northern New Mexico Climate Change Corps and this research was provided by the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Award Number 2014-38422-22086. The contributions of people at multiple partnering organizations made the Climate Change Corps possible: University of New Mexico-Taos, New Mexico Highlands University, US Forest Service, US National Park Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, New Mexico Department of Environment, New Mexico State Forestry Division, Amigos Bravos Water Protection Organization, Taos Land Trust, Chevron Environmental Management Company, New Mexico State University John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, and Taos High School.
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US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Award Number 2014–38422-22086.
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BZ was PI and led program design and implementation. TS was external evaluator and led evaluation data collection and analysis. BZ and TS co-wrote paper.
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University of New Mexico project title [764828–1] Northern New Mexico Climate Change Corps. Loyola University Chicago project #1903 Northern New Mexico Climate Change Corps – Project Evaluation.
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Zanetell, B.A., Schusler, T.M. Building STEM pathways for students of color to natural resources careers: the Northern New Mexico Climate Change Corps. J Environ Stud Sci 12, 204–215 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-021-00741-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-021-00741-x