Abstract

Issues of inclusion and social justice have plagued higher education and colleges of agriculture. Understanding that diversity encompasses more than race, this work examined both race and culture/environmental influence. Concurrently, through open-ended and Likert scale survey, questions were created to assess agricultural students’ perceptions of diversity and inclusion. This mixed methods evaluation focuses on graduate student responses to questions of diversity and inclusion; we analyzed the open-ended responses of graduate students’ perspectives to improve campus climate in a college of agricultural and life sciences at a mid-Atlantic land grant institution. Four themes emerged: 1) suggestions from graduate students, 2) college specific incidents, 3) discriminatory behavior, and 4) faculty-specific incidents. Results showed a variety of suggestions from graduate students based on their interactions within the college and with faculty. There was discriminatory behavior being observed being practiced by the faculty. Recommendations included addressing negative behaviors within departments and at the college level, creating an outlet for graduate students to seek allies and advocates, and continue to work towards building a more inclusive faculty and student body in the college to help advance the field of agriculture.