On April 4th the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences held its 60th annual recognition banquet. The event was held at the Ohio Union and featured a packed crowd of College students, faculty, staff, funders and partners. The event, which is one of the biggest evenings of the year for the College, recognizes outstanding students, faculty and staff. This year’s theme focused on the Kentucky Derby and was officially called “The Winner’s Circle – Big Hats, Big Fun”. At the event several significant awards were given to AEDE students, faculty and staff.
In particular, Dr. Steven Vickner was honored with the Rodney F. Plimpton Outstanding Teaching Award. This award recognizes a faculty member with the rank of assistant or associate professor in the College who excels in teaching, both in and out of the classroom. To be eligible for the award the faculty member must demonstrate the ability to motivate students, use a variety of materials and methods in the classroom, maintain a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the subject matter they teach, and feature innovation in his or her work with students. Dr. Vickner was nominated for the award by his fellow faculty members in the College. In addition to teaching AEDE courses focused on agribusiness management and marketing, Dr. Vicker also serves as the faculty advisor for the Ohio State chapter of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and the Ohio State chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association.
Another recognition of the evening was for AEDE staff member Janice DiCarolis who was one of two individuals that the evening was formally dedicated to. DiCarolis joined the AEDE staff in 1977 as a layout design artist, a position she still holds today in addition to taking on many other tasks in the department office. She was honored at the banquet for her tireless dedication and commitment to AEDE and the College, and in particular for her passion for helping students. As mentioned in the evening’s recognition, she has served as a Sub-Committee Advisor for the decorations team of the College banquet committee for the past seven years – a task she has taken on in her personal time.
Many AEDE students were recognized at the banquet for their excellent academic and extracurricular achievements. In particular, three AEDE Agribusiness and Applied Economics undergraduate majors were recognized as “Top 20 Seniors” for their extensive participation in extracurricular activities to promote the College: Linsey Howell, Trey Miller, and Alex Newman (dual major in Animal Sciences). Additionally, AEDE undergraduate student Laura Whalin was recognized as a Newcomb Scholar, an award given to students in the College who excel academically.
Another highlight of the evening was when AEDE undergrad Danielle Matthews was awarded the Ray A. Miller CFAES Student Council Scholarship. Matthews was selected for the award based on her contribution to the College’s Student Council where she serves as Treasurer, as well as her leadership roles and responsibilities in other campus organizations. Additionally, undergrad Mara Gordon was awarded the College’s Medard Ruehle Scholarship, which is given to one student in the College who goes above and beyond in extracurricular involvement. The evening also featured AEDE undergrad Emily Limes being awarded the Outstanding First Year Student Scholarship for her academic excellence and her demonstrated potential to become a campus leader.
The banquet also recognized the work of the many student organizations, honorary organizations, ambassadors, Greek organizations, co-curricular teams, study abroad students, and athletes in the College, many of whom are AEDE students, or organizations that AEDE students actively participate in.
Congratulations to all of the College winners, and in particular to AEDE’s faculty, staff and student winners. You make us proud for your dedication and commitment to the department, the College and your work and studies!
April 5, 2013