In a ceremony marked by a strong sense of academic community, 10 faculty and staff members from Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources were recognized Thursday evening for their outstanding contributions to the college.
The honorees were celebrated at a formal gathering held at the university’s McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center, where each recipient received a $1,000 honorarium and a crystal acrylic award in acknowledgment of their excellence across multiple areas of academic and institutional impact.
This year’s honorees include:
- Teaching Award: Catherine Simpson, Associate Professor of Sustainable/Urban Horticulture, Department of Plant & Soil Science
- Research Award: Krishna Jagadish, Interim Department Chair and Thornton Distinguished Chair, Department of Plant & Soil Science
- Junior Faculty Award: Donna Mitchell McCallister, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics
- Outreach & Engagement Award: Muntazar Monsur, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture
- Service Award: Matthew Siebecker, Assistant Professor of Applied Environmental Soil Chemistry, Department of Plant & Soil Science
- International Impact Award: Impa Somayanda, Associate Professor of Crop and Forage Physiology, Department of Plant & Soil Science
- Student Advising Award: Lindsay Kennedy, Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Agricultural Education & Communications
- Instructor Award: Kylie Harlan, Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Education & Communications
- Staff Award: Melanie Jackson, Multimedia Specialist, Department of Plant & Soil Science
- Research Staff Award: Hope Hall, Research Associate, Department of Animal & Food Sciences
The ceremony came on the heels of a busy day of strategic planning and discussion. Earlier Thursday, Davis College leadership convened its advisory board at the National Ranching Heritage Center to assess the state of the college and discuss evolving priorities. Topics included academic advancement, outreach strategies, alumni engagement, and research development at both state and federal levels.
Contributing to the afternoon’s discussion were key college administrators, including Academic Enhancement | Robert Cox, Associate Dean for Academic & Student Programs; University Engagement | Erica Irlbeck, Associate Dean for Outreach & Engagement; Development, Alumni & Marketing | Matt Williams, Senior Director of Development; and State & Federal Engagement | Noureddine Abidi, Texas Tech’s Interim Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation. Additionally, Irlbeck moderated a second session highlighting department, center, institute, and research, education and outreach reports.
The week’s Davis College events concluded with a faculty assembly on Friday morning, also held at the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center. Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec offered introductory comments, followed by Dean Clint Krehbiel who outlined updates to a new strategic direction for the college. Known as the “Pursuit of Prime,” the initiative represents a renewed commitment to national excellence - aiming for top 10% performance across all college disciplines.
Additionally, team activities centered on 10 years to Prime, building a culture of excellence through integration, collaboration and modernized infrastructure. The program them moved to the art of communicating science and building the college’s story toward Association of American Universities status.
CONTACT: Clint Krehbiel, Dean, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or Clint.Krehbiel@ttu.edu
0822NM25 / PHOTO: (top row) Catherine Simpson, Krishna Jagadish, Donna Mitchell McCallister, Muntazar Monsur and Matthew Siebecker (bottom row) Melanie Jackson, Lindsay Kennedy, Kylie Harlan, Impa Somayanda and Hope Hall