The California Food and Fibers Futures (CF3) Project has been funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Food Systems Professions Education Initiative. The CF3 project steering committee includes members from the University of California, California State University, the Community College System and industry with University of California Davis as the lead institution. The goal of phase one of the project is to clarify the role of postsecondary educational institutions relative to the "food, fiber and environmental systems from production through consumption." The institutions are to:
(a) "work collaboratively to link issues of production with environmental stewardship, resource planning, and societal issues and contexts;
(b) reformulate educational responses and models to prepare the food, fiber and environmental system professionals for the 21st century;
(c) integrate ethical thinking and societal knowledge into the teaching, research, and outreach mission...;
(d) enhance institutional and personal benefits for forward thinking in these areas."California State University, Fresno, the College of the Sequoias, Kings River Community College, and the South Central Region of the University of California Cooperative Extension Service have joined together in this area as the Central California Consortium. California State University, Fresno, hosted a regional visioning activity on April 2, 1999 at the Casa Blanca Conference Center, which involved university faculty, students and administrators; traditional and nontraditional stakeholders; and community leaders. This activity provided a regional vision of what the food and fiber industry should look like in the future as well as a perspective on what the higher education system should look like in the future. The outcome of our efforts will be combined with those of similar efforts throughout the state. The resulting "vision" will be used in phase 2 of the CF3 project to "pull" the higher education system into the future. Additionally, it is anticipated that these activities will lead to refined institutional visions and missions for the various colleges and universities as well as improved inter-institutional relations. |
