Every fall, the New Mexico State University Alumni Association presents the university's most accomplished alumni with its highest honors. As part of that recognition Michael Galyean, a Texas Tech Horn Professor and member of the Davis College Department of Veterinary Sciences faculty, has received NMSU's College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award.

The honor was presented during a special evening ceremony on Friday (Oct. 21) at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Galyean received his bachelor's degree from NMSU in 1973. His master's degree and doctorate are from Oklahoma State University. 

“New Mexico State gave me a passion for research and a love for the academic community that provided a foundation for my graduate work and subsequently gave me the opportunity to begin my professional life as a faculty member,” Galyean said. “Receiving this award from NMSU is truly a highlight of my career.” 

Galyean is one of the top cattle nutritionists in the world. As a university professor, he has taught graduate courses in animal nutrition and statistics, conducted research in cattle nutrition and management, served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Animal Science, and served as president of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.

Following graduate school, Galyean returned to the NMSU Department of Animal & Range Sciences in 1977, where he developed a new research program focused on the nutrition of ruminants grazing semi-arid rangelands. Over the next decade, his research led to significant scientific advances arid several highly cited publications.

In 1990, Galyean moved to Clayton, New Mexico, to serve as the superintendent of the Clayton Livestock Research Center, where his research centered on the effects of nutrition and management on feeder calf health. He returned to academia in 1996, when he became a professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University in Canyon. 

In 1998, he moved to the Thornton Distinguished Chair in Animal Nutrition at Texas Tech, where his research continued to be at the forefront of major issues facing the beef cattle industry. Beginning in 2011, Galyean served as dean of the Davis College of Agriculture & Natural Sciences at Texas Tech for five years before becoming Texas Tech's Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2016. 

Five years later, he returned to the academic side to conduct research and teach graduate courses. During his administrative tenure, student enrollment, retention and graduator rates, and research funding all increased.

Galyean has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, invited papers and book chapters and has directed the graduate work of more than 60 master's and doctoral students. In addition, he has filled several leadership roles with the National Research Council, president of the American Society of Animal Science-Western Section and served on the ASAS Board of Directors. 

CONTACT: Cindy Akers, Interim Dean, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or cindy.akers@ttu.edu

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