Page 125 - MFB State Annual Meeting 2018 -- RESOLUTIONS BOOK

59 this programming. We encourage county Farm Bureaus
60 to highlight opportunities for school districts to meet
61 STEM requirements through agricultural concepts.
62 We encourage Career and Technical Education
63 (CTE) teachers, Michigan Farm Bureau, and other
64 stakeholders to work with legislators and the
65 Department of Education on flexibility within the
66 Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) to allow students to
67 enroll in CTE classes. We urge county Farm Bureaus
68 to work with local school districts to increase MMC
69 flexibility acceptance. MMC standards must be
70 balanced to recognize the importance of CTE and
71 provide more opportunities for students to enroll in
72 vocational training programs and mentor-based
73 programs.
74 A well-rounded education containing basic
75 curriculum, including college-prep or
76 vocational/technical courses, should be an attainable
77 and achievable goal for all students. We urge school
78 counselors and faculty to be aware of and inform
79 students about opportunities in the field of agriculture
80 and vocational training. Furthermore, we encourage
81 counselors’ continuing education courses encompass
82 CTE opportunities.
83 We oppose Common Core State Standards.
#42 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
1 In 1855, the Michigan Legislature passed Act 130
2 which provided for the establishment of the Agricultural
3 College of the State of Michigan. Michigan Agricultural
4 College was the first college in the United States to offer
5 agriculture courses for credit. Today, MSU is recognized
6 as a leader in higher learning and agricultural research,
7 extension and youth development. To maintain this
8 status, we support state funding for MSU that places it in
9 a comparable academic and financial status with other
10 research universities.
11 The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
12 (CANR) and the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
13 have historically provided a strong foundation for
14 educating generations of individuals involved in
15 agriculture in Michigan, the nation and worldwide. We
16 continue to support these colleges and urge them to work
17 closely with stakeholders, including producers, to
18 address the research, resource, and information needs of
19 the agriculture industry, as well as the curriculum focus of
20 agricultural job providers.
21 We support programs such as the Production
22 Medicine Scholars program and incentives to
23 encourage a higher rate of CVM graduates to address
State Policies – Page 39