According to Dr. Jaclyn Kropp, professor of Food and Resource Economics (FRE) at the University of Florida, guiding students is a privilege that she does not take for granted. 

“I truly believe that my success as an educator is reflected in the success of my students, and I am always striving to do better,” Kropp said. 

Both inside and outside the classroom, she constantly strives to provide passionate guidance and compassionate mentorship, a combination that earned her the 2025-2026 CALS Outstanding Graduate Advising/Mentor of the Year Award.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award,” Kropp said. “I am especially grateful to be acknowledged by CALS — a college with so many outstanding and dedicated teachers and mentors.”

Kropp, who joined the University of Florida in August 2012, has chaired 23 master’s committees, chaired or co-chaired 4 doctoral committees, and served as a member on 9 other graduate student committees. In addition, she also teaches a variety of classes including Advanced Agribusiness Management and International Agricultural Trade at the undergraduate level, and Public Policy and the Agribusiness Firms at the graduate level.

Connecting Economics to Real Life 

In all of her classes and in the research projects of the FRE graduate students she advises, Kropp utilizes her own passion for the subject to engage with students and encourage them to develop a passion for the field of Food and Resource Economics as well. 

“I love agricultural finance and economics! I get excited about these subjects and try to get students excited about them too,” Kropp said. “However, many students find them intimidating because of the mathematical complexity.” 

To bridge that gap, Kropp seeks out current, highly applicable examples of the impact of economics in her student’s daily lives. 

“By linking concepts that seem abstract with real-world applications, I demonstrate that economics and finance are lenses for viewing the world and the keys to solving a variety of problems they will likely encounter in their academic, professional, and personal lives,” Kropp said.

According to Samantha Sowell, who has been a UF student for 6 years both as an undergraduate and now master’s student, it is this active style of learning which made Public Policy and the Agribusiness Firms is by far one of her favorite courses that she has taken. 

“Dr. Kropp does a fantastic job of engaging students with material that is relevant to current events, and the variety of assignments–which includes papers, presentations, and debates–encourages critical thinking and fosters an interactive environment in the classroom. 

Providing Holistic Mentorship 

Part of what Kropp believes has enabled her to be successful as a mentor to her students is her dedication to not only appreciating but celebrating that each student who crosses her path brings with them a unique background, set of circumstances, and goals. 

Thus, by getting to know each student personally so that they will feel comfortable approaching her with questions, providing flexibility and understanding, and working collaboratively with her advisees and mentees to set goals and strive to achieve them, Kropp’s holistic approach to advising and mentoring allows her to develop close bonds with her advisees.

According to Kropp, this approach to mentorship for her students was shaped by a mentor of her own during her Master’s program at Cornell University. 

“My MS thesis advisor told me, ‘You will be my student for a short time and my colleague forever.’ These words stuck with me,” Kropp said. “It has guided my approach to mentoring my students while they are students and beyond.” 

For those who have worked with her, such as graduating M.S. student Samantha Sowell, this holistic mentorship approach has helped them to grow not only as researchers, but as well-rounded professionals. 

“Working as a graduate assistant on one of her research projects has aided me in discovering my interests within the field and reinforced my decision to pursue further education in agricultural economics,” Sowell said. “Her guidance and encouragement have helped me step out of my comfort zone and participate in opportunities that have accelerated my professional growth and broadened my skillset.” 

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