On Monday, April 27, the College of Agricultural Sciences held its annual awards ceremony, only this year was a bit different: The entire ceremony took place via Microsoft Teams.
More than 100 staff, faculty and students beamed in from across the country (even a few from New Zealand) to tune into the ceremony, hosted by newly-appointed dean James Pritchett. During the hour-and-a-half long event, the Charles N. Shepardson awards and the Summit awards were announced by Matt Camper, assistant Dean of teaching practice and academic programs, and Addy Elliott, assistant dean of advising and student success, with the final Lee Sommers award announced by Pritchett. The ceremony was peppered with quarantine-themed polls, and Soil and Crop Sciences department head Matt Camper even provided intermission entertainment with his guitar.
While levity was added to this year’s ceremony, the awards themselves were to recognize the serious effort faculty, staff and students have exerted to evolve the research, learning and culture of the college. Here are the 2020 CAS Awards recipients:
Charles N. Shepardson Awards
Graduate Teaching Award
A currently enrolled (as of spring 2020) graduate student in CAS who has demonstrated excellence in classroom teaching of agriculture-related courses at CSU within the past academic year.
M.S.:
Jenny Bennett
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Ph.D.:
Sean Markovic
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Faculty Teach Award <10 Years Experience at CSU
A current CAS faculty member, with under 10 years teaching experience at CSU, who has demonstrated excellence in classroom teaching of agriculture-related courses at CSU within the past academic year.
Tenure Track Faculty:
Jennifer Martin
Department of Animal Sciences
Non-Tenure Track Faculty:
Suellen Melzer
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
North American College and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA)/Charles N. Shepardson Meritorious Teaching Award
A CSU faculty member teaching agriculture-related courses in soil and crop sciences, animal sciences, agriculture and resource economics, entomology, horticulture, plant pathology, weed science, landscape architecture, and agricultural education-related disciplines. Nominees must be current members of the academic faculty as described in section E. 1 of the Academic Faculty and Administrative Professional Manual. Nominees must have teaching experience of seven or more years.
John Wager
Department of Animal Sciences
Charles N. Shepardson Student Leadership Award
A currently enrolled (as of spring 2020) CAS undergraduate with senior standing who has demonstrated outstanding leadership ability during their undergraduate career through employment, activities, and organizations in CAS and CSU related to agricultural sciences and has maintained a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA.
Gus Gill
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Linc Thomas
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
The Summit Awards
Student Impact Award
CAS non-tenure instructors, advisors, faculty, and staff members who have demonstrated a commitment and impact on students’ lives within the college (undergraduate and graduate) through their advising, mentoring, guidance, and support. These activities may take place inside or outside the classroom and demonstrate the nominee’s dedication to student success and well-being. Nominees may be recognized for exceptional ongoing or situational (one-time occurrence) student-focused impact.
Janet Dill
Department of Agricultural Biology
Elizabeth Hobbs
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Research Contributors Award
Faculty, research associates, staff (including non-student hourly employees), and graduate students, both campus-based and research center (AES) based, who contribute towards ongoing CAS research projects and make significant impact on research outcomes.
Jacqueline Chaparro
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Doug Couch
Agricultural Experiment Station
Kristen Otto
Department of Agricultural Biology
Come to the Table Inclusive Research Award
Faculty and staff who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and/or contributions to improving the inclusiveness and diversity of the College of Agricultural Sciences and its mission through their inclusive programming and/or leadership and demonstration of CSU’s Principles of Community.
Staff:
Tori Anderson
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
Student:
Cetan Christensen
Department of Agricultural Biology
Staff/Research Center:
Carolyn Keller
Agricultural Experiment Station
Faculty:
Mike Martin
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Lee Sommers Agricultural Sciences Distinguished Career Award
The Lee Sommers Agricultural Sciences Distinguished Career Award recognizes a senior faculty member in the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) for their long and distinguished career based on excellence in teaching, research, and/or outreach.
Jim Klett
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture