While many students start their Ph.D. journey unsure of if research or teaching will suit them best, for FRE Instructional Associate Professor Caleb Stair, whose two parents were both teachers, it was never a question of joining the family business.
“I loved getting to hear them talk about things they had done in class and the passion about explaining different subjects,” Stair said. “When I first started teaching swimming lessons at a young age that was a feeling that I wanted to chase after.”
The UF/IFAS Department of Food and Resource Economics is thrilled to celebrate Stair’s well-deserved recognition with his recent promotion by the University to associate instructional professor status.
Stair teaches three major courses in the FRE Department: Macroeconomics, Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics, and International Development and Humanitarian Assistance. To Stair, each course represents a unique opportunity to impact student lives in a different way.
In Macroeconomics, a core course for the FRE major, Stair introduces students to some of the key economic theories that they will be using throughout their careers to understand why things happen the way do in the world around them.
“I like seeing students realize that this is the most impactful branch of economics in their everyday lives,” Stair said. “ Everything from how much they spend on groceries to what kind of job they will have after they graduate is affected by macro-level happenings.”
When it comes to Agricultural Ethics and Natural Resources, Stair takes pride in creating an environment for critical thinking and discourse where students learn to not only accept that others have different viewpoints, but to also challenge their own preconceived opinions, a phenomena Stair calls “intellectual character development.”
“I love the meeting of minds in that class and how you can still see students who disagree get value out of the other’s point of view,” Stair said. “You get to watch students wrestle with big questions, challenge their assumptions, and occasionally have that “Oh no… I might have been wrong” moment.”
Finally, in his course on International Development and Humanitarian Assistance, Stair values the opportunity to empower students to take a solutions-based perspective to the issues they see around them.
“This class can occasionally be the doom-and-gloom course,” Stair said. “But I want to impress upon students the urgent need for humanitarian action and what we decide to do about it. Seeing them realize they can use their skills to make the world better? That’s the good stuff.”
Outside of the classroom, Stair is equally involved in student development and involvement opportunities that allow undergraduates to make the most of their time at UF, no matter where their interests lie, serving as the advisor to the Ag. Econ Club and as the undergraduate research coordinator for FRE.
Recently, he also helped launch our department podcast, FRE Lunch, where he serves as the podcast cohost with the goal of making agricultural economics exciting and accessible not just for our own students, but for anyone interested understanding how economics impacts the most pressing questions facing Florida’s agricultural and natural resource industries.
As the department celebrates it’s 100th anniversary and Stair reflects upon not only the journey that led to this promotion , but the path ahead, he looks forward to the infinite number of new students and new possibilities on the horizon.
“I love getting to meet new people in the midst of a watershed time of their lives,” Stair said. “FRE is evolving, agriculture is evolving, the world is evolving, and being part of that momentum is exciting! I’m excited to build new programs, teach new courses, mentor new students, and keep shaping a department that feels welcoming and impactful.”
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