Abigail Borron
Associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, Abigail Borron uses a culture-centered approach in her community-engaged work.
Tell us about your academic or career path — how did you get to your current position?
Before I started my master's program, I worked as a communication specialist for the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) at Purdue University. In that role, I realized the work I was doing, though focused on the community's needs, was often driven by my own understanding of what I observed or assumed needed to be done. Because of this, I became highly invested in analyzing disaster and risk communication strategies, which led me to pursue my master's degree in agricultural communication.
I started to recognize that as a professional communicator, I need to understand who I’m talking to very specifically. I began seeing the value of looking at communication and engagement needs based on the cultural aspects of any given community. So, I pursued a Ph.D. focusing on university engagement within communities, specifically, an approach called culture-centered communication.
Following my doctorate program at Purdue University, I was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication. After two years at Purdue, a fantastic opportunity opened up in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication (ALEC) at the University of Georgia, which allowed me to use my expertise and, along with my colleagues, revise and rebuild a more robust undergraduate program in agricultural communication. I'm also a communications specialist for UGA Cooperative Extension.
Why is this field of work meaningful to you?
Throughout my educational and career journey, I clearly saw the differentiation among people and communities. How individuals and groups view science, perceive issues, and even communicate with each other is incredibly complex. Therefore, university outreach with communities requires more thoughtful strategies and nuanced approaches to ensure meaningful and impactful engagement.
Something I think keeps me grounded is knowing that I’ll never fully arrive. The reality is that society and culture will always change; every community will perceive those changes differently. And, I think it's essential to acknowledge that we all carry our own biases and assumptions — don't ignore them, instead acknowledge them to engage audiences more effectively.
If we can recognize our own biases and assumptions, and understand that there is always something to be learned from any given situation, the impact of our work will be greater because we're able to listen to the multitude of voices more effectively around us — allowing us to be better positioned to serve and collaborate with every local community.
What are you currently working on, and what is the end goal of the project?
To answer this, I need to take you back in my timeline just a bit. While I was at Purdue University, I had the opportunity to create a study abroad program in Romania. I maintained contact with our partners, and when I came to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), I was able to recreate the Romania study abroad program for our students.
While I have since ended the Romanian study abroad, my interest in seeking possible collaboration remained. Almost serendipitously, a request for proposal (RFP) came out from the Romanian-American Foundation (RAF) in January 2023 seeking a land-grant institution to serve as a host to RAF Fulbright Scholars to learn about Cooperative Extension and consider means by which they can begin implementing engagement efforts in rural Romanian communities.
Considering the connections I'd already made in Romania and my specific work with UGA Extension, a small team of CAES colleagues and I applied for the grant, and the Romanian-American Foundation selected UGA as the host institution.
I'm the project lead on this grant that supports three cohorts of five to six Fulbright Romanian faculty scholars to spend the fall semester (a different cohort each fall) at CAES to learn from and glean ideas for developing Extension-related projects and programs in rural communities across Romania. This project aims to establish a foundation of collaboration and ideas for Romanian faculty and universities to collectively build a national Extension model. We are excited to be part of this endeavor and long-term goal.
What is something important for the public to know about your work?
Every community is unique — in its existing assets, issues, and capacity to adapt. The Extension model in Georgia utilizes a county-based approach, so UGA Extension has a presence in every county throughout the state.
In this way, we're poised to serve and engage with communities directly. As a specialist, I'm committed to continually examining, testing and refining communication strategies to foster stronger engagement and support UGA Extension as a local partner throughout the state.
What is your favorite part about what you do?
I love being a part of CAES specifically and a land-grant university holistically because both are designed to serve and partner with every local community. From students learning to be the next generation of professionals and scholars in our collective fields to cutting-edge research that bolsters food and fiber production and supports community development and vitality, it is exciting to be part of that work.
Borron leads students through a photography session during the Romanian study abroad program.
Borron leads students through a photography session during the Romanian study abroad program.
Each year, students have the opportunity to travel to Europe, South America, Asia and Africa to experience agriculture abroad.
Each year, students have the opportunity to travel to Europe, South America, Asia and Africa to experience agriculture abroad.
More than one-third of land in Romania is dedicated to agriculture.
More than one-third of land in Romania is dedicated to agriculture.
Small-scale livestock operations are common in Romania.
Small-scale livestock operations are common.
If you could do anything else, what would it be?
I would like to be a farmer. Although for the sake of all of the people around the world who depend on farmers, it's probably best I'm not. I really enjoy the hard, physical labor, but I'll leave the tough decision-making to these experts. Perhaps I can just be one of their farmhands.
What might your colleagues or students not know about you — hobbies, interests, secret talents?
I can recite the U.S. states by memory in alphabetical order in 25 seconds.
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