Nathan Conner, associate professor in agricultural leadership, education and communication at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has been selected for a Fulbright Fellowship.
Conner will be teaching and conducting research at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Port Antionio, Portland, Jamaica, from August through June 2024.
The Fulbright program is administered by the U.S. government and offers scholars in more than 160 countries the opportunity to teach, study and conduct research. Below, Conner discusses his project and its potential impact on him, his host community, and the broader Nebraska community.
Can you tell us about the Fulbright Scholarship Program and the project you’ll be working on?
The Fulbright Program is aimed at enhancing relationships between the United States and other countries. For my project, I’ll be living in Port Antonio, Jamaica, with my family for about a year. During that time, I’ll teach college courses and help co-design a master’s degree in agricultural education to assist high school teachers in obtaining their master’s degrees. I’ll also conduct research studies on how adult learners go through the learning process, how adult learning theory is used in Extension in Jamaica, and the state of agricultural education at the high school level in Jamaica.
What inspired you to apply for the Fulbright Fellowship?
I’ve done some international work before in Jamaica and other countries. As a well-recognized program, Fulbright is respected by other countries that are interested in collaborating with Fulbright Scholars on various initiatives. Interest in collaborating was already present from the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, having worked with them before on some needs assessments in the Extension area. To further my research and impact, I applied and ultimately received the Fulbright scholarship.
How do you anticipate the fellowship will impact your career and agricultural education, both at Nebraska and generally?
I hope that my relationships with individuals and the college in Jamaica will lead to future opportunities. Potentially, we can bring some of our Nebraska student teachers to gain experience teaching agriculture in Jamaica, allowing them to practice teaching in another context and country with students who grew up in different ways than they did. I think this would be a valuable experience for both the Nebraska student teachers and the high school students and others they interact with in Jamaica.
Additionally, I hope this opportunity opens the door for other international opportunities for me and other faculty members in ALEC and CASNR to participate in various disciplines. This could mean further collaboration with Extension professionals and other ag education professionals in other countries to help further education there. Additionally, we could bring back the new knowledge we gain and input it into our agricultural teacher education program and our Extension education program to help build human capacity in Nebraska.
Source: unl.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-ron_thomase+
Categories: Nebraska, Education