Skip to Main Content

Book of Great Teachers celebrates induction of new faculty

The 2023 Book of Great Teachers induction ceremony, held on Sept. 26, honored 38 outstanding teaching faculty--11 of those faculty members are from the College of Agriculture. The induction ceremony for the Book of Great Teachers occurs every five years after faculty, who have at least 15 years of service to the university, are nominated by students, alumni and colleagues. Faculty members are automatically included in the book if they have been awarded the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and have at least 10 years of service at Purdue.

The Book of Great Teachers is a permanent bronze-and-walnut wall display located in the west foyer of the Purdue Memorial Union. The display was dedicated on April 23, 1999. Including the most recently inducted professors, the book contains 467 names, now including 83 College of Agriculture faculty.

Bernie Engel, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, attended the ceremony to honor recipients’ accomplishments. “These are colleagues who I have known and worked with during my years on our college’s faculty. They view teaching undergraduates to be at the heart of their mission as faculty members. They are also widely recognized for their research, Extension outreach and many other professional accomplishments. While it was no surprise to me, I was proud to see that almost a third of those honored at this ceremony are College of Agriculture faculty members.”

The 11 inductees from the College of Agriculture are:

  • Cale Bigelow, professor of horticulture
  • Laura Bowling, director and coordinator of Natural Resources and Environment Science and professor of agronomy, received the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award during the 2022-23 academic year.
  • Dennis Buckmaster, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and dean’s fellow for digital agriculture
  • Christian Butzke, professor of food science and innovation and entrepreneurship fellow
  • Michael Dana, professor of horticulture
  • Elizabeth Flaherty, associate department head and professor of forestry and natural resources, received the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award during the 2019-20 academic year.
  • Mark Hall, associate professor of biochemistry
  • Steven Hallett, professor of horticulture
  • Haley Oliver, assistant dean of Ag Online programs and professor of food science, received the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award during the 2017-18 academic year.
  • Kathryn Orvis, professor of horticulture and landscape architecture
  • Christine Wilson, senior associate dean and director of academic programs and professor of agricultural economics, received the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award during the 2007-08 academic year.

(Banner photo caption: Award members attending the ceremony were: Front row: Cale Bigelow, Christine Wilson, Steven Hallett, Laura Bowling and Kathryn Orvis. Back row: Mark Hall, Christian Butzke and Elizabeth Flaherty. Not pictured: Mike Dana, Haley Oliver and Dennis Buckmaster.)

Featured Stories

Julia Peterson in the mesas of Arizona.
Finding beauty in the mess—the perspective of a botany and art double major

A low, whirring hum fills your ears as you step into the building. As your eyes adjust to the...

Read More
Ismail Olaniyi flies a UAV up above the trees.
The crossroads between lemon trees and technology

In warmer southern and western states, citrus orchards are important for feeding and bringing...

Read More
Piglets
Combined microbiome datasets yield accurate prediction of animal ages

An analysis combining the results of 14 studies from around the globe has uncovered some common...

Read More
A hand holding two eggs
Rehabilitation through agricultural skills with Purdue Farmer-to-Farmer Trinidad and Tobago

Gardening and poultry care are sometimes seen as trendy hobbies in the U.S., but in Trinidad and...

Read More
Claire King waters her quinoa in the greenhouse.
Claire King named a Golden Opportunity Scholar

It’s easy to imagine the whole of agriculture as a giant feast sprawled out on an equally...

Read More
Logos for the American Fisheries Society, Society of American Forestry and The Wildlife Society conventions/conferences
FNR Research Was Well-Represented at Fall Organizational Conferences

Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources and the cutting-edge research being performed by its...

Read More
To Top