Uw River Falls

The University of Wisconsin - River Falls Department of Animal and Food Science Is Anually Enrolling Nearly Four Hundred Undergraduate Students With a Stated Career Interest in the Area of Companion Animal Science. This Intergrated Proposal Specifically Addresses Needs Created by Enrollment Pressures of the Program to Generate Innovative Educational Opportunity for the Students. Through Unique Collaboration With Two Non-profit Agencies, Students Will Gain Both Strengthened Classroom Learning Experiences, as Well as Opportunities for Field-based Internships.supporting Objectives Are Fourfold: (1) Development of Two Novel Companion Animal Science Undergraduate Courses, (2) Expansion of the UNIVERSITY'S Novel Service Dog Training Internship to Include an Ambassador Program With the Aim of Honing Student Leadership Skills Through Public Education and Outreach, (3) Creation of a Intercollegiate Network of North American Colleges With Undergraduate Service Dog Training Programs, Culminating in a Summit for Idea-exchange and Student Collaboration, and (4) Field-based Internship Development to Engage Students Directly With Underserved Sectors of the Pet-owning Population Through a Nationally Unique Non-profit Veterinary Hopsital. the Proposed High-impact Activities Will Serve as Models for Other Ungraduate Animal Science Programs Expanding Into Companion Animal Science Disciplines. Enhancement of the Companion Animal Program Is Especially Poised to Attract, Recruit and Retain Students Who Lacked Opportunity or Access to Traditional "gateway" Agriculture Experiences in the K-12 Period, Such as Agriculture Education Curriculum, Ffa and 4H. Students Will Emerge From the Enhanced Program Prepared to Lead, Communicate and Work Collaboratively to Create a Diverse Agriculture Workforce That Is Representative of the National Workforce.