by Chris Azbell
Hesci readers….welcome back to our sixth edition of Chewing the Cud with CMN Extension. Today, I want to highlight the Natural Resources Program at the College of the Muscogee Nation. The associates level degree program has been around since 2019 and there are two distinct specializations: Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture. The program has been quite successful producing fifteen graduates since its inception.
In the world of Higher Education, the Natural Resources Program at CMN is in its infancy. It takes time to build a respected program that becomes highly sought out by potential students across the country. I use the term “build” because that is exactly what we are doing. Extension, Research, and Education go hand in hand in the world of land grant institutions. To take the program to the next level, we have to put all three legs of the land grant triangle into overdrive. We must recruit high end talent in key faculty positions that can build the next generation of tribal leaders, policy makers, and agricultural professionals. The system is in place, we simply need to ramp it up. The train is about to leave the station and now is the time to get on board because the College of the Muscogee Nation is soaring to new heights.
Specifically, you can see the respect 1994 land grant institutions are garnering in the academic world. Collaborations, grant partnerships, and significant academic projects are on the rise. CMN is celebrating twenty years as an academic institution, and it is amazing how far the organization has come in two short decades. From the small confines of the old Social Security Administration building on Mission street in Okmulgee, Ok to the sprawling campus you see today, CMN is an institution to be reckoned with.
As it relates to agriculture, CMN will provide the pipeline for our next community leaders, policy makers, and decision makers that will mold the future of the Muscogee Nation. CMN Extension will impact this pipeline through youth development, 4H, community enhancement, and empowerment. I encourage anyone that has a desire to be in the field of Natural Resources to go through the already established program at CMN. Let’s continue to build something together as CMN and the Muscogee Nation look to the future.