Three outstanding faculty members from Texas Tech's Department of Agricultural Education and Communications will be honored for teaching, service and research on April 21 at the Western Region Research Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education in Fresno.

"Each award had multiple applications, and we're pleased to be represented in so many categories," said Steve Fraze, chairman of Tech's Department of Agricultural Education and Communications. The recipients were selected by a committee of faculty from institutions not having an applicant, he said.

Among those selected were:
"Distinguished Teaching: Cindy Akers "" Associate Professor & CASNR's Director of Student Services. Akers, who will be promoted to professor in September, joined the faculty in 1997, and has served in several leadership roles from superintendent of the National FFA Agricultural Communications Career Development Event and chair to Tech's Teaching Academy. Awards for Akers include the Hemphill-Wells New Professor Excellence in Teaching Award, Presidents Excellence in Teaching Award and a national Award of Excellence in Academic Programs.
"Distinguished Service: David Doerfert "" Professor & Graduate Studies Coordinator. Doerfert, who joined the faculty in 2002, teaches several agricultural communications, as well as conducting research related to strategies and methods, especially in the area of decision making. He previously served as team leader in the education division at the National FFA Organization. Doerfert received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His master's and doctorate degrees are from Ohio State University.
"Distinguished Research: Scott Burris "" Assistant Professor. Burris joined the Tech faculty in 2005, and specializes in agricultural education. Burris is advisor for the Texas Tech chapter of Collegiate FFA. He earned his bachelor's degree is from Texas Tech. His master's degree and doctorate in agricultural education are from the University of Missouri. Awards for Burris include the Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award and the USDA New Teacher Award.

The association's western region includes agricultural education, communications and leadership departments in agricultural colleges and universities in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii.

According to program officials, the American Association for Agricultural Education is a professional society dedicated to studying, applying, and promoting the teaching and learning processes in agriculture. It advocates for improvement of teaching and learning in agriculture, and provide a forum to address issues in agricultural education.

Texas Tech has one of the nation's distinguished agricultural education programs, according to a recent survey of professional colleagues within the discipline. The Ohio State University study ranked Tech ninth with faculty, range of programs and its communications program listed as its distinguishing features.

Written by Norman Martin

CONTACT: Steve Fraze, chairman, Department of Agricultural Education and Communications, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2816 or steven.fraze@ttu.edu

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