Gainesville, Fla. — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) honored three University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences faculty with teaching awards for the food and agricultural sciences—the most ever received by UF in one year. The University of Florida also leads the nation in recognition of faculty by USDA.
Rebecca Baldwin of the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department received one of two National Teaching and Student Engagement Awards. This award celebrates university faculty for their use of innovative teaching methods and service to students.
Additionally, Steven Johnson of the UF/IFAS wildlife ecology and conservation department and Gerardo Nunez of the UF/IFAS horticultural sciences department received 2022 Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences. Johnson was one of six regional award winners and Nunez was one of two national early-career awardees.
“The UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has a culture of teaching excellence,” said Elaine Turner, dean of the college. “We are extremely proud to have one of our faculty recognized with one of these awards in any given year, but three faculty winners in one year is especially exciting and illustrates the caliber of teachers we have. I’m proud that Dr. Baldwin, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Nunez have such a strong commitment to educating and mentoring students.”
The awards were presented as part of the 135th Annual Meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in Denver, Colorado.
“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.”
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ABOUT THE UF/IFAS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND LIFE SCIENCES
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) administers the degree programs of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The mission of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is to deliver unsurpassed educational programs that prepare students to address the world’s critical challenges related to agriculture, food systems, human wellbeing, natural resources and sustainable communities. The college has received more total (national and regional combined) USDA teaching awards than any other institution.
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