UMass iCons Program Showcased at National Conference

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Christine Hatch, extension professor in the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences and associate director of academics for the UMass iCons Program, presented at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ APLU BAA 2024 APS/NARRU Joint Winter Meeting, held Feb. 28-March 1 in Washington, D.C.

The Board on Agricultural Assembly (BAA), a unit of APLU's Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR), serves to promote agriculture across public universities and land-grant colleges in various regions, including states, territories and the District of Columbia. It comprises multiple sections, including the Academic Programs Section (APS). NARRU is an acronym for Non-land-grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities.

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During the conference’s session, titled “Active Learning – What’s Happening within Colleges of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources?,” Hatch delivered a presentation titled “Keeping it real in college: engaging students and solving problems in the UMass iCons Program.”

“I was jazzed to participate in this conference for several reasons,” Hatch says. “It provided an opportunity to highlight the excellence of iCons, introduce our new Food-Water-Climate academic track to peer institutions, and represent not only iCons and UMass Amherst, but also UMass Extension, the UMass Experiment Station and CAFE.”

The presentation showcased the UMass iCons Program’s structure and highlighted how iCons students actively tackle real-world challenges, addressing concerns relevant to agriculture colleges and programs:

• Agriculture colleges and programs are often not as diverse as the surrounding local population and iCons actively promotes many types of human diversity.
• iCons students engage with climate change research and solutions.
• The program emphasizes applied education, offering solutions to real-world problems.
• iCons incorporates many of the best practices in education, including communication, real-world examples, feedback, student agency, student autonomy, collaboration and metacognitive learning.

“It was notable how our program aligns with emerging trends,” Hatch emphasizes. “Many of the themes echoed by other speakers are already integrated into our curriculum and approach.”

More information about the UMass iCons Program and its commitment to addressing pressing challenges in agriculture and natural resources can be found at icons.cns.umass.edu.