FAMU Student Receives Scholarship to Study in Vienna

The Florida A&M University Office of International Agriculture Programs (OIAP) awarded a $4,000 scholarship to Joshua Green to participate in a European-USA Student Exchange program titled, “A Study in Vienna.”

Green is a FAMU junior, majoring in International Agriculture and Business in the FAMU College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA). As
part of this program, Green will study at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna, Austria, now through June 1. He will also participate in cultural and language programs and a supervised internship under the leadership of Rainer Haas, Ph.D., associate professor for the Institute of Marketing and Innovation at the University of BOKU.

A native of Redlands, Calif., Green is a member of the FAMU Marching 100 Band.

“I really welcome this opportunity to study in Vienna,” said Green. “The program at the University of BOKU is outstanding. I hope to be able to further develop my interest in organic farming, as well as the rich musical culture of Vienna.”

The Study in Vienna program builds on the European partnership and institutional relationship developed by the OIAP under a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) titled “Comparing European Union (EU) and United States Biotechnology, Food Safety,
International Trade & Regulatory Policies.” The international exchange, teaching and research program, under the FIPSE grant (2004-2008), was supported by three EU universities (University of Udine, University of Hohenheim, and University of BOKU) and achieved the following impacts:

• It supported the development of a new joint international course, the Global Seminar AGG 4420 001 3813;
• Seven CESTA students completed semester study programs in Europe;
• Three CESTA faculty exchanges for teaching and research were carried out to EU partner universities;
• Five EU students studied at FAMU for a semester; and
• Four EU faculty conducted teaching and research activities at FAMU.

Harriett Paul, director of the Office of International Agriculture at FAMU-CESTA and director of the FAMU EUUS Student and Faculty Exchange Program, is committed to designing international education programs to increase the participation of agriculture students in study abroad programs.

“Today, agriculture is a global enterprise,” said Paul. “Our students in agriculture and natural resources need to broaden their knowledge of other systems and methods, expand on their cultural experiences and second language skills, and improve their understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing America’s production, value-addition and trade in food and fiber products on the global market.”

FAMU students who participated in the FIPSE Exchange Program cited their semester study in Europe as “life-changing and a truly rewarding experience.”

For more information, contact Paul at (850) 599-8867 or via email at harriett.paul@famu.edu.