PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Back to Honors Index

2001 Honors: College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Paul A. Funk Recognition Awards
Three faculty members were honored for outstanding professional achievement and major contributions to agriculture. The awards are presented as a memorial to the late Paul A. Funk, who was a member of the class of 1929.
The awards were presented to Philip Buriak, agricultural engineering, who has taught, advised and mentored thousands of technical systems management undergraduate and graduate students; Shelly J. Schmidt, food science and human nutrition, who has an international reputation for her contributions to food science and technology; and Mary Ann Lila Smith, natural resources and environmental sciences, who has an impressive record of scholarly output and innovation.

Faculty Awards for Excellence
Five faculty members were recognized for their outstanding professional achievement and demonstrated excellence in teaching, research or extension. Senior college awards are presented to faculty members who have been in the college at least 10 years. College awards are for faculty members with at least three but no more than 10 years of service to the college.

Senior College Faculty Awards
Andrea H. Beller, professor of agricultural and consumer economics, has provided leadership and scholarship in family economics. (Excellence in Research)
Donald P. Briskin, professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, has developed a reputation as an outstanding instructor by students and faculty, both in the college and campuswide. (Excellence in Teaching)
Burton E. Swanson, UI Extension and professor of agricultural and consumer economics, is recognized as an international authority in the field and has edited several books on the subject. In addition, he provides leadership for the UI Extension’s growing value-added agriculture program. (Excellence in Extension)

College Faculty Awards
Timothy A. Garrow, professor of food science and human nutrition, is an effective and popular teacher. His teaching philosophy is straightforward, his expectations of his students are high and his efforts to improve his courses and his teaching has been successful. (Excellence in Teaching)
Robin L. Jarrett, professor of human and community development, has conducted cutting-edge research and has proposed local and national program and policy recommendations that further promote the well-being of poor families in the inner city. (Excellence in Research)

Karl E. Gardner Outstanding Undergraduate Adviser Award
Cleora D’Arcy, professor of crop sciences, has served as the formal faculty adviser for 15 to 18 undergraduate students. She revised the advising system to make it more efficient and effective, also developing a mechanism for peer advising among crop sciences students.
George R. and Arthur H. Bunn of the Bunn-O-Matic Corp. of Springfield established the award to honor Karl F. Gardner, a former associate dean and director of resident instruction in the college.

Professional Staff Awards for Excellence
Four staff members received Professional Staff Awards for Excellence. The awards are presented for sustained excellence or for innovation and creativity.
Laura L. Bauer, research specialist in the department of animal sciences (sustained excellence).
Steven E. Ford, manager of the Bioenvironmental and Structural Systems Laboratory, department of agricultural engineering (sustained excellence).
Pradeep K. Khanna, program coordinator for the UI’s National Soybean Research Center (innovation and creativity).
Benjamin C. Mueller II, extension specialist in community development, an associate of the Laboratory for Community and Economic Development, and an outreach specialist for UI Extension’s Family Nutrition Program (innovation and creativity).

John Clyde and Henrietta Downey Spitler Teaching Award
Laurie F. Kramer, professor of applied family studies in the department of human and community development, not only helps her students learn theory and research, but also prepares them to apply this knowledge for when they graduate and enter the workforce.
Mildred Spitler Johnson of Urbana established the award in honor of her parents. Her father was associate director of extension at the UI when he retired in 1949.

Staff Awards for Excellence
Staff Awards for excellence recognize three support staff members in the College of ACES for excellence in performance for a minimum of seven consecutive years. This year’s recipients are:
Virginia A. Ziegler, staff secretary in the department of crop sciences, who received the Marcella M. Nance Staff Award; Carol A. Phillippe, secretary IV in the department of crop sciences, and Sharon Early, secretary IV in the department of animal sciences.

Service Recognition Award
Gregory R. Noel has logged more than 22 years of service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service at the UI. Most of his research has been devoted to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and the development of practical controls to maximize soybean producer’s profits.

Team Award for Excellence
The ACES Teaching College Team was created to address the needs for developing excellence in the teaching and learning processes for current and future faculty. The ACES Teaching College Team is (from left) J. Bruce Litchfield, agricultural engineering; Cleora J. D’Arcy, crop sciences; Philip Buriak, agricultural engineering; and Shelly J. Schmidt, food science and human nutrition.

Louis V. Logeman Graduate Student Teaching Awards
This new award is based on the instructor’s consistently excellent performance, impact on students, and contributions to improved curriculum and course development. Award winners are: C. Diane Anderson, M.S. candidate, natural resources and environmental sciences, and Suzanne Wilson, Ph.D. candidate, human and community development.

Graduate Student Research Awards
This new award was established to recognize and reward graduate students who excel as researchers. Award winners are: Bart Deplancke, Ph.D. candidate, Division of Nutritional Sciences, and Matias L. Ruffo, M.S. candidate, crop sciences.