FAEIS Overview

The mission of the Food and Agricultural Education Information System (FAEIS) is to offer a broad range of higher education statistics related to the food and agricultural sciences (Agriculture, Forestry, Renewable Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and closely allied fields).  FAEIS provides empirical information for use in planning and coordinating efforts, directed towards supporting higher education in the food, agricultural and natural resource sciences.  FAEIS represents national data from professional associations, government agencies (e.g. U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, Department of Labor and other Federal agencies), and other national databases.  As a comprehensive unit, FAEIS offers an accessible resource for faculty, higher education administrators and industry professionals to strengthen higher education programs in the food, agricultural and natural resource sciences.

Subject Areas

Historically, FAEIS data collection has produced the Annual Reports, which have been distributed to the participating groups. The reports have consisted of the following products:

• Degrees Awarded tables, updated for Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and Forestry Sciences
• Enrollment tables, updated for Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and Forestry Sciences
• Placement tables, updated for Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and Forestry Sciences
• Faculty tables, updated for Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and Forestry Sciences
• Degrees Awarded tables, updated for Family and Consumer Sciences
• Enrollment tables, updated for Family and Consumer Sciences
• Faculty tables, updated for Family and Consumer Sciences

In addition, the reports have provided these basic services:

• Enrollment, graduation and placement information for university and government agencies and for public information sources such as media, agribusiness firms, and related environmental industries.
• An empirical base for minority, multi-cultural and gender information, crucial to the enhancement of diversification policies for the future workforce in the food and agricultural sciences.
• Baseline comparisons for the number and characteristics of faculty and students involved in food and agricultural higher education.
• Statistics for priority-setting and resource allocation in the food and agricultural sciences.
• Comparative analysis of educational programs in agriculture for State Boards of Higher Education.
• Placement data with current information, for use in career and academic counseling, for students interested in food and agricultural careers.

Data Collection

FAEIS selects data pertinent to the food and agricultural sciences from a vast array of sources that include not only information from federal agencies (e.g. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, Department of Labor, other Federal agencies), but also from national professional associations such as: the American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources (AASCARR), the Board on Human Sciences (BOHS), the Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS), the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges/Academic Committee on Organization and Policy (NASULGC/ACOP), the National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges (NAPFSC), and the Society of American Foresters (SAF). Following is a list of participating groups:

• American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources (AASCARR)
• Board on Human Sciences (BOHS)
• Academic Programs Section (APS), NASULGC
• American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)
• 1890 Land-Grant Institution Directors of Resident Instruction
• 1994 Land-Grant Institution - Resident Instruction
• Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS)
• Administrative Heads of Agriculture Section (AHS), NASULGC
• National Association of Professional Schools and Colleges (NAPFSC)
• Society of American Foresters (SAF)
• National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),Higher Education Programs, USDA

For additional information, contact:

Food and Agricultural Education Information System (FAEIS)

Virginia Tech, Mail Code: 0457
Corporate Research Center, Building VII, Room 2006
Blacksburg, VA 24060

Website: http://faeis.usda.gov

E-mail: faeis@vt.edu