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Abstract
As the global human population increases, the need to provide sustainable food and water systems is becoming more prevalent. The United States has been at the forefront of training individuals to contribute to the agricultural and natural resource workforce by establishing the land-grant university (LGU) system. However, LGUs face challenges supporting a diverse workforce by adequately preparing Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) with necessary skillsets. This dissertation highlights three studies related to building environments of inclusive excellence at LGUs. Chapter 2 examines the foundations of LGUs through a structured literature review of the first and second Morrill Land-Grant Acts. Chapter 3 explores the lived experiences of BIPOC agriculture graduate students at 1862 and 1890 LGUs, while Chapter 4 conceptualizes college of agriculture administrators' interactions with BIPOC graduate education. The study described in Chapters 3 used the organismic socio-behavioral perspective (OSBP) model to identify specific areas for better understanding how to promote equitable practices through policy and BIPOC graduate student advocacy within colleges of agriculture at 1862 and 1890 LGUs. A new conceptual model, Systematic Behavioral Perspective, is introduced in Chapter 3 and expanded in Chapters 4 & 5 to illustrate how the LGU system could become a model of inclusive excellence in higher education by addressing the systemic barriers that thwart diversity, equity, and belonging.