Alabama NRCS Signs Cooperative Agreement with Tuskegee University College of Agricultural, Environmental and Natural Sciences

Auburn, Ala., October 3, 2008

Tuskegee University and the Alabama NRCS have joined together through a cooperative agreement to provide scholarships for students studying in fields related to natural resource conservation.

The cooperative agreement establishes two scholarships that may be awarded for up to four years each. Recipients of the scholarships will be students pursuing degrees related to conservation, such as agronomy, forestry, or soil science, and they will have the opportunity to work with NRCS staff during their summers off.

NRCS State Conservationist Gary Kobylski met with Dr. Walter Hill, Dean of Tuskegee University’s College of Agricultural, Environmental and Natural Sciences, to further discuss the agreement and to meet the first scholarship recipient, Demetrius Johnson.  Johnson, a sophomore from Greene County, Alabama, is studying plant and soil science and expressed an interest in being a soil scientist or soil conservationist with NRCS upon graduation.

From the agreement:

"The NRCS has a commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The recruitment of minority scholars in natural resource conservation studies and closely related fields in the natural sciences will further develop this commitment while providing educational, mentoring and summer training opportunities for aspiring scholars."

"It’s our hope that we can help students like Demetrius pursue both an education and a career in natural resource conservation," said Kobylski, "and, of course, we hope they’ll want to work with the NRCS upon graduation."