The Exploring World Agriculture (EWA) class is a long standing CAS course culminating in a faculty-led Educational Tour abroad. The EWA course continues to be very popular, relevant, and an important piece of CAS’ commitment to enhancing and challenging our students’ global perspectives. In order to enhance the learning opportunities for students and faculty we are constructing a 5 to 7 year plan for the course and educational tours.
The course is currently being facilitated within the CAS Academic Programs Office and taught either by faculty, currently Dr. Dale Weber, or myself. The course utilizes guest speakers who provide students with insight into agriculture, food systems, and resource management across the world. We plan to continue our support of the course, with a few changes to its structure. We appreciate the many faculty who continue to support the course with guest lectures.
Although the course provides an excellent learning opportunity, the Educational Tour aboard has truly inspired and changed the lives of many CAS students. We are dedicated to continuing to provide this opportunity but to do so we need to tap into CAS faculty knowledge, expertise, and leadership. We know that CAS faculty have a wide variety of international agriculture, food systems, and resource management experience and contacts that could be shared with our students.
We are soliciting brief proposals from faculty of potential 10-day to 2-week tours they can envision leading once in the next 5-7 years. In order to create greater incentive for leading these tours, the Academic Programs Office will dedicate staff resources to work with faculty in making travel arrangements, if desired; recruit and orient students who elect to travel; and provide cost-share funds for faculty travel expenses.
Please send the following information to Paul Dorres ( Paul.Dorres@oregonstate.edu) by August 30th regarding your interest area in leading an Educational Tour. If you have an interest but no specific country in mind we have existing contacts we could visit with you about regarding the creation of a trip – but let us know.
-Lead Faculty (1-3 faculty may be listed):
-Country/Region of Trip:
-Brief Description of Trip and Opportunities: (1-2 paragraphs describing what students might expect to visit/experience and your connections/contacts/interest with agriculture, food systems, natural resource management in the selected country/region.)
-Best Time for Trip: (the best times for student travel have been: Winter Break, Early Summer/June, Late Summer/September)
-Academic Year Interested in Leading Trip: (for example 2013-14 or 2015-16)
-Other Faculty You Know Who Have Connections to Country/Area:
If you have questions regarding the course or trip please contact myself or Paul Dorres.
Penelope L. Diebel
Assistant Dean of Academic Programs
College of Agricultural Sciences