The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture have announced that four public university faculty have been honored with national teaching awards recognizing excellence in agricultural sciences teaching and student engagement.
Christopher Estepp of the University of Arkansas and Michel Wattiaux of the University of Wisconsin-Madison are the national recipients of the USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Mellissa Crosswhite of Oklahoma State University and Toni Gist of the University of Illinois Champaign are the recipients in the National Teaching and Student Engagement category.
Six regional and two early-career awardees are also the recipients of the 2025 Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The six regional awards were presented to: Aswathy Rai, Mississippi State University; Danielle Condry, North Dakota State University; Noel Habashy, Pennsylvania State University; Sarah Reed, University of Connecticut; Melissa Price, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa; and Lacee Boschetto, Utah State University.
Jose Pablo Dundore-Arias of California State University, Monterey Bay and Yiwei Huang of Purdue University each received best early-career teacher honors.
The awards, which celebrate university faculty for their use of innovative teaching methods and service to students, will be presented during the 2026 APLU Annual Meeting. 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.
“We are delighted to congratulate this year’s honorees 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. “Their steadfast dedication to teaching and mentorship profoundly influences not only the trajectory of their students, but also inspires colleagues through the academic community, nurturing a culture of ongoing growth and distinction.”