The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently honored four public university faculty with national teaching awards recognizing excellence in agricultural sciences teaching and student engagement.
Jacquelyn Dee Mosley of the University of Arkansas and Shyam Nair of Sam Houston State University were named national recipients of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences. Rebecca Baldwin of the University of Florida and Mary Kay Pohlschneider of the Ohio State University were named recipients in the national Teaching and Student Engagement category. The awards, which celebrate university faculty for their use of innovative teaching methods and service to students, were presented as part of the 135th APLU Annual Meeting.
Six regional and two early-career awardees were also named recipients of the 2022 Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences. In recognition of their scholarship, exemplary pedagogy and dedication to instruction, the annual awards include stipends of $5,000 for the national winners and $2,000 for regional and early-career honorees to be used for improving teaching at their respective universities.
The six regional awards were presented to: Steven Johnson of the University of Florida, Cassandra Katherine Jones of Kansas State University, Courtney Alyssa Meyers of Texas Tech University, Chad Thomas Miller of Kansas State University, Haley Franks Oliver of Purdue University, and Heloisa Moreno Rutigliano of Utah State University.
Gerardo Nunez of the University of Florida and Mary Theresa Rodriguez of the Ohio State University each received best early-career teacher honors.
“We applaud this year’s winners of the Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences,” said Wendy Fink, Executive Director of the Academic Programs Section at APLU. “Through their dedicated and focused passion in mentoring and instruction, they serve as inspirational leaders for their students and other faculty striving to serve their students better.”