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

cows in a field
Food products from animals with heritable genetic modifications potential boon to producers, consumers and animals

Farmers have been improving the genetics of their animals for thousands of years through...

Read More
Anna Paltseva, clinical assistant professor of urban science in the agronomy department, sits outside of a greenhouse, holding her Urban Soils Guide.
Framework to expand engagement in urban areas

Urban soils are essential to building sustainable cities — from supporting green...

Read More
Ag Barometer
Farmer sentiment improves as long-term optimism outweighs tariff concerns

Farmer sentiment improved in April as producers expressed more optimism about current and future...

Read More
black soldier fly
Revolutionizing waste: How black soldier flies transform food waste into sustainable solutions

With food waste being a growing problem around the world, finding innovative solutions is more...

Read More
Two women examine the ground near tomato plants
Small Farm Education Field Day will feature new research, demonstrations and Purdue experts

The Purdue Small Farm Education Field Day on July 24 will offer demonstrations and presentations...

Read More
Oseremi Olivia Jagbojo
Oseremi Olivia Jagbojo - Graduate Ag Research Spotlight

Growing up in bustling Lagos, Nigeria, the largest city in Africa, agriculture was the furthest...

Read More
To Top