Brian D. Whitaker Receives Teaching Award for Food and Agricultural Sciences

Brian D. Whitaker, Ph.D., associate professor of animal science at the University of Findlay, has been named a regional recipient of the 2020 Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences.

This honor was granted to Whitaker through a subset of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, known as the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Annually, this organization awards outstanding teachers from universities that offer any degree that would be considered an agriculturally based degree. Whitaker was selected from an anonymous nomination submitted by his previous students. Whitaker mentioned the award is decided upon based on a few different categories such as teaching quality, teaching methods, teaching philosophy, and professional growth and scholarly activity within the discipline of teaching.

Typically, there is a ceremony held in New York City or Washington D.C. to announce and celebrate the winners. However, due to the current circumstances, there was a virtual award presentation in which Whitaker was honored.

When referring to his time here at the University of Findlay, Whitaker said, “the students at UF are amazing. It’s hard to find another institution where the students are this involved in their education.” He also mentioned, “it’s really nice to work at a place that gives you a lot of latitude and freedom to do what you think is best for your students. This has helped us as faculty be able to explore different ways to educate.”

To learn more about Whitaker and Findlay’s Animal Science Programs, visit the Animal Science webpage.