Professional Improvement & Scholarship Opportunities

Members and potential members often ask a question like "What's in NACAA for me?"

NACAA offers many benefits to its members. Some of the most important are the professional improvement or scholarship related opportunities. In most states Extension Agents / Educators are expected to participate in professional improvement or scholarship opportunities for job performance evaluation and promotion. NACAA through the national meeting and professional improvement conference and the NACAA website offers several such opportunities.

NACAA Professional Improvement / Scholarship Opportunities

National Meetings

  • Present peer-reviewed papers
  • Publish peer-reviewed abstracts
  • Opportunity to serve as reviewer of submitted abstracts
  • NACAA Poster session (peer reviewed and judged)
  • Opportunity to serve as reviewer of proposed presentation or posters
  • Serve as a session moderator

NACAA Journal (online journal)

  • Opportunity to publish peer reviewed papers in electronic format
  • Opportunity to serve as a reviewer

Journal of Extension

  • Opportunities to submit articles
  • Opportunity to serve as reviewers
  • Opportunity to serve as NACAA representative on JOE

Nationwide Web-based professional development opportunities

  • Opportunity to present
  • Opportunity to participate
National Awards Program

Search for Excellence Awards

  • Remote Sensing and Precision Agriculture
  • Crop Production
  • Landscape Horticulture
  • Farm and Ranch Management
  • Farm Health & Safety
  • Livestock Production
  • Young, Beginning, or Small Farmers/Ranchers

Communications Awards

  • Audio Recordings
  • Published Photo & Caption
  • Computer Generated Graphics Presentation
  • Program Promotional Piece
  • Personal Column
  • Feature Story
  • Newsletter, Individual
  • Newsletter, Team
  • Video Recordings
  • Fact Sheet
  • Publication
  • Web Site
  • Learning Module/Notebook
  • Bound Book

Educational Foundation Scholarships

  • Member vestment will be $100 to qualify for up to $1,500 scholarship and a vestment of $200 (an additional $100 contribution to the scholarship fund) to qualify for an additional scholarship awards from $1,501 to $3,000 (no more than $1,000 in any one year will be awarded). Effective dates for this change will be the 2022 scholarship requests.
  • Uses include: advance degrees, graduate credit, educational tours, professional conferences (not NACAA AM/PIC), seminars, research or other specialized training
  • Donation required by NACAA AM/PIC prior to application.
  • Items contributed to NACAA Scholarship auction count toward donation

In addition to scholarship opportunities, NACAA also offers opportunities to serve in national leadership positions. Extension Agents/Educators who are seeking opportunities to work and provide leadership in an organization recognized by Extension administrators as being a national professional improvement organization will find these opportunities within NACAA. They can take advantage of these opportunities by getting involved and seeking out positions as Regional Committee Vice-Chairs, National Committee Chairs, Regional Directors or national officers.