Three College of Agriculture And Life Sciences Faculty Receive Distinguished Teaching Awards
Three professors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University have received distinguished achievement awards for college-level teaching from the Texas A&M Association of Former Students.
Receiving awards and a $2,000 gift were James W. Mjelde, department of agricultural economics; Patricia K. Smith, department of biological and agricultural engineering; and Tryon Wickersham, department of animal science.
The awards are given in recognition of superior classroom instruction and distinguishes teachers who maintain high expectations of their students and ensure academic rigor in their courses.
Mjelde has taught more than 70 sections of eight different courses to more than 2,000 students in every introductory level, undergraduate to advanced doctoral, while directing 31 graduate students. Said one nominee, he is “a highly regarded adviser of individual undergraduates, academic teams and organizations that have won or received national recognition.”
Smith is both “a mentor and teacher,” said one nominee, and “is highly respected by students for the effectiveness of her teaching, whether a core biological agricultural engineering course, upper level elective engineering class or a graduate class.”
According to the nomination, Smith is known as an effective researcher and contributor to scholarly journals. She is the recipient of the 2011 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Superior Paper Award.
Wickersham “has a mission to reach every student and challenge them to do their individual best,” according to one colleague. To reach that goal, he “demands that students think (and) assimilate major concepts. He structures exams fairly to assess their understanding but also challenge them academically.”
His students have gone on to enroll in some of the top research programs in the country, according to one nominee.
“Dr. Wickersham has been on of the most influential and helpful teachers I have had since coming to Texas A&M,” a former student wrote. “He embodies the essence of a great teacher as well as the Aggie core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service.”
