UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since 1985, students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have gained a larger world view through participation in the international agriculture minor.
Commonly referred to as INTAG, the 18-credit minor helps students cultivate an understanding of international development and the agricultural systems of various cultures throughout the world. Those students, current and past, are coming together to celebrate the program’s 35th anniversary during a virtual reunion planned for noon to 1 p.m. on May 27.
“To understand the world, one must understand agriculture, because it is the glue that keeps communities physically, mentally and economically healthy,” said Noel Habashy, assistant teaching professor and INTAG program coordinator in the college’s Office of International Programs.
“We laud the college’s leadership and faculty then and now for supporting the INTAG minor, which empowers our students to tackle global challenges such as human rights, food insecurity and poverty. The hundreds of students who have graduated from the program have made positive impacts on communities around the world.”
The program features courses in a broad range of academic fields, including social and natural sciences, and can be paired with any Penn State major.
“We have students in majors outside of agriculture who want to expand their horizons and knowledge through the INTAG minor,” Habashy said.
The minor requires that students participate in an international experience, which can be fulfilled by completing a semester-long research project or by taking an embedded course that has an international travel component. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, program leaders are exploring alternative ways for students to meet this requirement, noted Habashy.
INTAG student Gillian Warner has fulfilled the international experience directive through several avenues, including completing a remote internship with Oxfam America, a global organization dedicated to ending poverty, and through an embedded agricultural and extension education class, in which she spent spring break during her freshman year in Belize learning about agricultural production.
“Gaining a minor in INTAG has been a fantastic experience,” said Warner, a junior majoring in community, environment, and development. “With small class sizes and discussion-based lectures, students have the opportunity to engage with issues facing global food security. The topic is critical to the well-being of people around the world, and the minor provides a look into the complex challenges and solutions in addressing international agriculture.”
INTAG graduates have gone on to enjoy careers in a wide variety of professional fields, noted Habashy. Some attend graduate school, while others pursue jobs in the public sector, education and the Peace Corps.
One of the many of INTAG alumni making a mark on the world is Andrew Schlegel, who graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in food science. He is an international trade specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where he helps improve foreign market access for U.S. products and provides food aid and technical assistance to foreign countries.