From Thursday to Saturday, Tarleton State University will be hosting more than three dozen National Future Farmers of America Officer candidates for the Officer Candidate Preparatory Academy.

In late August, Stephenville’s InterBank donated $5,000 towards the Tarleton FFA program. According to Dr. David Frazier, officer academy organizer, the money will be used to help offset funds, such as transportation to and from Dallas-Fort Worth airport, meals for the weekend and housing expenses.

“Many of the candidates stay at my house; however, due to the large number of candidates attending, we need to rent hotel rooms to help accommodate them,” Frazier said.

During the academy, candidates will be prepped for the interviews they will actually go through for the officer selection process, which will take place in October.

During the academy, the candidates will go through a series of interviews. The first round is an introduction where the committee will ask questions to get to know the candidate. During the second round, candidates will give five minute speeches followed by questions on their knowledge of agriculture, FFA and agricultural education. Candidates also present a 10-minute workshop to high school students.

Frazier says the next series of interviews are called round robins, where the candidates will carry out discussions with stakeholders (teachers, professors, parents, etc.). The last round is a personal round where the candidates answer questions about their character, reliability, integrity and trust.

“Overall, it is a great chance for the candidates to check their ability to perform,” Frazier said. “It is a chance for them to meet the other candidates from across the country.”

Frazier hopes the academy will let the candidates get their nerves out before their real interviews and show what they need to work on.

According to Frazier, the academy has been successful to past years, 21 of the past 24 national officers having attended the academy here at Tarleton.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to work with some of the most talented students in the country and it is an honor to have them on our campus,” Frazier said.

According to the official FFA website, only six candidates will be chosen to be in officer positions out of over 600,000 FFA members nationwide.