Division of Agriculture presents faculty, staff awards
Jan. 9, 2009Contact Information:
Fred Miller, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
479-575-5647 / fmiller@uark.edu
Mary Hightower, Cooperative Extension Service
501-671-2117 / mhightower@uaex.edu
To download photos of individual award winners, see http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/vision/extra/awards.jan09.html
ROGERS, Ark. -- The University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture recognized outstanding performance by faculty and staff members at an awards luncheon Friday at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center.
Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult said, “Our research and extension faculty and staff provide outstanding service to our stakeholders in agriculture, forestry, community development, environmental sustainability and family and youth development. These awards signify the excellence of our entire faculty and staff throughout Arkansas.”
The Division of Agriculture includes the Cooperative Extension Service, which provides public education and service programs statewide, and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, which conducts research to assist producers and processors of food and fiber, other agribusinesses, families and communities.
Many Division of Agriculture research and extension faculty members are also instructors on University of Arkansas campuses in Fayetteville, Monticello, Pine Bluff and Little Rock and at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
The Robert G. F. and Hazel Taylor Spitze Land Grant University Faculty Award for Excellence was presented to Park Waldroup, University Professor of poultry science at UA Fayetteville. Waldroup is regarded in academia and industry as a leading national and international authority on poultry nutrition. He joined the Division of Agriculture faculty in 1966.
The award carries a $3,000 stipend provided by the Spitzes, who graduated from the university in the 1940s and have had distinguished academic careers.
A. Hayden Brown, professor of animal science at UA Fayetteville, received the Jack G. Justus Award for Teaching Excellence. Brown teaches animal science courses relate to breeding and genetics, including a popular animal behavior course that he developed.
The Alumni Society Advising Award was presented to Michael R. Thomsen, associate professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness at UA Fayetteville. Thomsen devotes considerable time, energy and enthusiasm to advising and mentoring students and provides leadership to help other faculty members develop their advising skills.
John W. White awards for outstanding teaching, research, extension service and teamwork are named for the U of A System's first vice president for agriculture when the Division of Agriculture was created in 1959.
The John W. White Outstanding Teaching award went to Mary Savin, associate professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences at UA Fayetteville. Savin helped structure the crop, soil and environmental sciences curriculum and teaches six courses including several related to environmental and ecosystem issues.
Navam Hettiarachchy, University Professor of food science, received the John W. White Outstanding Research award for her contributions to the rice and soy industries through research to develop value-added uses for rice and soy products. She has documented benefits of several plant extracts as antimicrobials and antioxidants.
The John W. White Outstanding Team award for 2008 recognizes the Arkansas Soybean Rust Working Group, which was established in 2004 and has helped farmers avoid overuse of fungicides by providing accurate information about the risk of rust infection each year. Currently led by extension plant pathologist Scott Monfort, other team members are Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist; Cliff Coker, extension plant pathologist; John Rupe, professor of plant pathology; Sherrie Smith, state plant diagnostician; and program associates Amy Carroll, Amanda Greer and Michael Emerson.
The John W. White Outstanding Extension State Faculty award went to Gus M. Lorenz, professor and extension entomologist and associate department head for extension entomology. Lorenz develops and implements educational and applied research programs on insect pest management for cotton, soybeans and other crops.
Andy Vangilder, county agent and staff chair in Clay County, received the John W. White Outstanding County Extension Educator award. Vangilder leads a multi-faceted program in a large and diverse county that is split by Crowley’s Ridge. He supervises a staff based in Piggott east of the ridge, where cotton and corn are primary crops, and a staff at Corning west of the ridge, where the main crops are rice, soybeans and corn.
The John W. White Non-Classified Support Personnel award was presented to farm manager Howard Lester of Farmington. At the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville, Lester is manager of the Poultry Feed Mill, joint supervisor of the Poultry Research Farm and assists with maintenance and operation of the J.K. Skeeles Poultry Health Laboratory.
The John W. White Classified Support Personnel award, Cooperative Extension Service, went to Angela Stacy, an accountant for Cooperative Extension Service grants management and accounts receivable at the state headquarters in Little Rock.
The John W. White Classified Support Personnel award, Agricultural Experiment Station, went to Clayton Treat, farm foreman at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station at Marianna, which is a unit of the Northeast Research and Extension Center. Treat supervises a staff that manages field research operations on the 650-acre station.