By:
Tom Nordlie (352) 392-0400Source(s):
Rick Rudd rrudd@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-0502 ext. 230
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Rick Rudd, an associate professor with the University of Florida’s agricultural education and communication department, has been honored with a national award for teaching excellence.
He was one of numerous faculty members and students with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences who received awards and presented research at the 52nd Annual Conference of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA). The event was held June 7-9 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Rudd was chosen from a national field of candidates to receive the NACTA Teaching Award of Excellence, which recognizes one individual each year who demonstrates excellence in post-secondary instruction in agriculture. He received a plaque and a $1,500 honorarium.
Other awards presented at the conference included the following:
Rebecca Darnell, a professor and associate chairwoman of the horticultural sciences department, and Elaine Turner, an associate professor in the food science and human nutrition department and interim associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, each received NACTA Teacher Fellow Awards.
Brian Myers, an assistant professor in the agricultural education and communication department, and Jim Dyer, an associate professor in the department, received the Jack Everly Journal Award for their NACTA Journal article “A Comparison of the Attitudes and Perceptions of University Faculty and Administrators Toward Advising Undergraduate and Graduate Student Organizations.”
Graduate Student Teaching Awards were presented to Amanda Brown, a recent master’s degree recipient from the food science and human nutrition department, Sarah Clark, a doctoral student in the plant pathology department, Drew Cotton, a master’s student in the animal sciences department, Nick Fuhrman, a doctoral student in the agricultural education and communication department, David Jones, a recent doctoral degree recipient from the agricultural education and communication department, and Emily Rhoades, a doctoral degree candidate in the agricultural education and communication department.
Research oral presentations presented at the conference included the following:
Larry Connor, a professor emeritus in the food and resource economics department, and Howard Ladewig, a professor in the agricultural education and communication department, presented “Making Connections Across the Curriculum in the Changing Academic Culture of Agricultural Colleges.”
Kimberly Bellah, who recently departed UF after receiving a Ph.D. degree from the agricultural education and communication department, and Jim Dyer presented “Attitudes and Stages of Concern About an Agricultural Literacy Curriculum.”
Research posters presented at the conference included the following:
Christopher Vitelli, director of student development for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Nick Fuhrman presented “Closing the Gap Between the Consumer and the Producer: Student Outreach and Extension.”
Rick Rudd and Curtis Friedel, a Ph.D. degree candidate in the agricultural education and communication department, presented “Teaching Critical Thinking Skills Through International Field Trip Experiences.”
Nick Fuhrman and Howard Ladewig presented “The Impact of Using Student Performed Educational Skits in a Large Technical Writing Class.”
Sandra Wilson, an associate professor of environmental horticulture stationed at UF’s Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, Emily Rhoades, and Tracy Irani, an associate professor in the agricultural education and communication department, were part of a multi-institution team that presented “Up and Running: The Worldwide Greenhouse Education Website – An Instructor Resource.”
David Jones presented “Reflective Inquiry Based Professional Development: A New Approach to an Old Challenge.”
UF’s strong showing at the conference demonstrates the commitment of faculty and graduate students to academic excellence, said Jimmy Cheek, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.
“I offer my congratulations and thanks to these individuals,” Cheek said. “Teaching is at the core of the university and it benefits the university and its students to have faculty who give so much of themselves to improve teaching and learning.”
NACTA is a professional society whose members are college and university faculty in agriculture and natural resource and life sciences. Its annual conference provides a forum for sharing innovations, presenting scholarly papers and honoring academic excellence.
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