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.)

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