Now more than a decade old, a College of Agriculture group aims to promote diversity on campus and in the agriculture industry.

Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, a 14-year-old organization, has meetings that focus on r‚sum‚ building, graduate school and career services, said Robert Jackson, the organization’s treasurer and graduate student in agriculture education and studies.

“The only difference is, we have government agencies, businesses and professionals contact us because they are looking to build or reach their diversity goals [for employment],” Grant said.

Jackson said the club plays into the college’s 2000-05 strategic plans to expand and emphasize student diversity.

Only three percent of students in the College of Agriculture are minorities, said Mary deBaca, coordinator of diversity programs in the College of Agriculture and program manager in agricultural administration.

“[Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences] is the only club in the College of Agriculture that promotes diversity in agricultural sciences,” said Nina Grant, agricultural administration program coordinator and the group’s adviser. “The group currently consists of African-American, Native American, Latino, Asian-American and international students.”

Despite being a College of Agriculture organization, members are not exclusively from the College of Agriculture.

“Membership is open to anyone with a vested interest in agriculture or related sciences,” Grant said.

The group includes members whose majors and backgrounds are in biology, sociology and engineering, Jackson said.

“The name of the club makes you think of ag, but we have students from outside the ag focus,” he said. “Very few of the members have a production agriculture background.”

With a mix of undergraduates and graduate students, students can build relationships with other people in the organization, deBaca said.

“[This] is one of the few groups in which students really get to know graduates and know what graduate school is like,” she said.