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Collegiate School of Conservation Leadership

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Advancing the Future of Conservation

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is committed to inspiring a love of the outdoors and conservation in young Arkansans and is working with post-secondary schools to foster responsible stewardship of natural resources in the next generation.

Through our Collegiate School of Conservation Leadership Program, AGFC is working to increase conservation education, outdoor learning and outdoor recreation opportunities for college students in Arkansas, to increase awareness of conservation careers and inspire the next generation of conservation professionals. AGFC has created a collegiate designation for post-secondary public and private colleges, universities and two-year community/technical colleges that are doing this well. If you’d like your school to be a Collegiate School of Conservation Leadership, please work with your school’s administration to review the requirements below and submit the Letter of Commitment to our Postsecondary Program Coordinator Becky Bloomfield at becky.bloomfield@agfc.ar.gov.

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Increasing participation in all Arkansas Game and Fish Commission programming at the campus level

Increase conservation education, outdoor learning and outdoor recreation opportunities for college students in Arkansas

Bring awareness to the role AGFC plays in the outreach and commitment to Arkansans through conservation education

Increase awareness of AGFC careers through the development of the next generation of conservation professionals

Utilize our current foundations in conservation education

Recognize schools that are doing this well, create model/mentor schools and programs within the state; create new opportunities and continue current programming offered by nature center staff to support education outreach

Collegiate Designation Phases

Application: Phase 1

Program	Description of Requirements
1. Provide evidence of involvement from a minimum of 4 different subject matter areas.	Schools must provide artifacts and documentation to attest that there are four different subject matter areas working together to accomplish this designation. Students from each subject matter area should benefit from this program. University examples: Liberal Arts & Humanities: history, philosophy, literature, and languages Natural & Physical Sciences: biology, physics, chemistry, and theoretical research Social Sciences: psychology, sociology, political science, and economics Professional Schools: law, medicine, and high-level architecture Formal Sciences: theoretical mathematics, logic, and statistics Technical College examples: Skilled Trades: HVAC, welding, plumbing and automotive technology Health Sciences (Applied): nursing (LPN/RN), radiologic technology and dental hygiene Digital & Technical Arts: web development, cybersecurity, graphic design and CAD drafting Business & Office Tech: paralegal studies, accounting technology and administrative office management Public Service: fire science, criminal justice and emergency medical services (EMS) *Schools are not limited to the example lists provided.
2. Demonstrate utilization of known student benefits from this program to recruit students.	Schools must provide evidence that they highlight how working towards the designation benefits students, and they use developed resources for recruiting students. Evidence should include quantitative and qualitative data.
3. Host an AGFC University Outreach Coordinator Intern position during the academic year with a designated on-campus mentor.	The school will submit a work plan for the opportunity to host an AGFC University Outreach Coordinator Intern. There must be a school mentor willing to support this position. Expectations of the mentor include attending event planning meetings, assisting with event promotion to the student body and assisting with local partner collaboration. The objectives of this position are to (1) increase outdoor recreation with a focus on hunting and fishing participation among college students; (2) understand their motivations and constraints across diverse populations and evaluate the program’s impact on the beliefs, attitudes, skills, and social support needed for long-term participation; and (3) build the infrastructure, partnerships and overall capacity to sustain the success of recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) efforts targeting college students.
4. Host four outdoor recreation experiences with partner support.	Schools must host four outdoor recreation experiences for the students in the participating subject matter areas. These events must be organized as two consumptive and two non-consumptive experiences: Consumptive: hunting, fishing, foraging or wild game cooking Non-consumptive: recreational shooting sports, biking, kayaking/canoeing, camping, rock climbing, wildlife watching, outdoor cooking, hiking/trail running or Stream Team There must be one experience per participating subject matter area for the students within that subject matter area. Each experience should be open for at least 20 students. These should be independent offerings from existing or annual programs at the school, such as Campus Recreation or Student Life. These experiences can be supported by these existing organizations. Experiences will include an introductory lesson on the topic, hands-on training or skills building and an active participation opportunity for each attendee. Each event should be a minimum of 4 hours of engagement. Each event must be supported by one activity-related partner organization. Examples of partner organizations include private groups, local businesses, state agencies, etc.
5. Instructor Professional Development	School instructors are required to participate in four conservation or outdoor recreation-focused professional development opportunities, with a minimum of 4 different staff members attending in total. Professional development opportunities attended should be based on school needs and can be obtained in-person, virtually or via AGFC’s Learning Management System. The Professional Development opportunities can be either with AGFC or with another organization for a conservation related training program. Professional Development Examples: Stream Team, Fishing In The Natural State, Hunter Education, Boater Education, etc.
6. Student Professional Development	The school is required to host two professional development opportunities focused on conservation or outdoor recreation, with a conservation professional or agency, for students from participating subject matter areas. At least 5% of the students from the participating subject matter areas must be included in the combined attendance and participate in at least one professional development opportunity. Professional development opportunities attended should be based on students’ needs and can be obtained in-person, virtually or via AGFC’s Learning Management System. The Professional Development opportunities can be either with AGFC or with another organization for a conservation related training program. Professional Development Examples: Stream Team, Fishing In The Natural State, Hunter Education, Boater Education, Prescribed Fire Certification, etc.
7. Conservation Project	Students must complete one research-based or service-based conservation project. Can be in partnership with K-12 school(s). If the school submits a proposal to the AGFC Graduate Fellowship Program and is awarded the Fellowship, that project will meet this requirement. The project must be recognized as a priority for AGFC, the school, other conservation-focused entities, or the local community. The required conservation project for this program must be substantial and directly contribute to conservation goals, aligning with one of two primary categories: Research-Based Projects: These projects should involve rigorous scientific inquiry aimed at addressing a specific conservation problem, filling a critical knowledge gap or evaluating the effectiveness of management strategies. Service-Based Projects: These projects should involve the direct application of conservation principles and practices to provide a tangible benefit to the environment, wildlife or the community. This could include habitat restoration, public outreach and education or developing management plans. Partnership and Recognition: K-12 School Collaboration: Projects are strongly encouraged to be developed and executed in partnership with one or more K-12 schools. These partnerships should incorporate conservation principles into educational curricula, provide hands-on learning experiences for students and foster the next generation of conservationists. AGFC Graduate Fellowship Alignment: If a graduate student’s academic institution submits a proposal to the AGFC Graduate Fellowship Program and that proposal is successfully awarded the Fellowship, the funded research project will automatically satisfy the requirements of this capstone. This ensures unity between program requirements and state-level conservation priorities.
8. AGFC Scholarship and Internship promotion to the entire student body.	There must be proof of pathways utilized to encourage all students to apply for AGFC scholarships and internships.
9. Partner with a K-12 school.	Post-secondary schools must partner and support at least one K-12 school to host or collaborate on a conservation-related project or community event. Students from each subject area are encouraged to participate and lead the collaboration. Examples: School of Conservation Leadership project collaboration, fishing derby, stream team, waterway cleanup, wildlife management area workday, park cleanup, community garden with native plants and pollinator habitat, etc.
10. College students attend the AGFC Generation Conservation Summit.	Students from the participating subject matter areas will attend at least one full day of the event, based on the day’s agenda. Students will provide an interactive booth experience for K-12 students at the 2026 AGFC Generation Conservation Summit on Nov. 4-5 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Students are encouraged to network with AGFC staff and Generation Conservation Summit partners.
11. Community Conservation Leadership Committee	Schools will form a Community Conservation Leadership Committee that should include school admin, instructor(s), the University Outreach Coordinator Intern, local government officials, local industry leaders, local non-government organizations, and state government members. This committee will meet with the school at least twice a year. This committee will serve to support the school working towards the designation and stand as a hub for local governance on conservation-related community priorities. The school will be required to present its Phase 2 evidence to the Community Conservation Leadership Committee before submitting its final report to the AGFC.

1. Submit a Fellowship Proposal in response to AGFC RFPs.	Schools must submit a formal proposal to the AGFC Graduate Fellowship Program. Schools that are successfully awarded a Fellowship will be recognized as meeting the “Conservation Project” criteria. The project must consist of a two-year, thesis-based research initiative ($20,000 per student, per year) that directly supports the AGFC mission and identified priorities.
2. Guest Lectures from Conservation Professionals and Community/Industry Partners	Provide four guest lecture experiences on campus that highlight and promote conservation and/or nature-themed learning content for students. All four different subject matter areas must have at least one guest lecture. At least one lecture should inspire action in conservation that could be used as an extension or required project.
3. Have a competitive shooting/fishing/ archery/etc. team	Schools will offer, promote and support at least one outdoor recreation competitive team. These could include, but are not limited to: competitive shooting (firearm or archery), competitive fishing, cycling and mountain biking.
4. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Leader Council.	Schools will encourage and support participation in the AGFC Administrator Leader Council. Participation in the AGFC Administrator Leader Council is application-based and would require a member to be selected for this requirement to be fulfilled.
5. Generation Conservation Student Organization.	Schools will support the formation of a Generation Conservation student organization for their students. Must meet at least once per quarter. The student club must support and encourage participation in the Generation Conservation Summit and completing conservation efforts/projects in the school. AGFC staff will provide support and equipment for your Generation Conservation student group when resources are available. Please follow the guidelines for requesting support from the AGFC Education Division, found at www.agfc.com/educationoutreach.

Application: Phase 2

Phase 2 of the application process is submitting the application and required artifacts.

Schools must present their artifacts and showcase their accomplishments throughout the designation process to their Community Conservation Leadership Committee prior to final submission to AGFC.

Schools will upload evidence and rationale for each section to their AGFC Learning Management System profile.

Schools will also upload any relevant artifacts, such as photos, video links, news articles, etc. to help support their claim to earn the designation.