agInnovation Award for Excellence in Leadership

Purpose. To recognize those who have served the Southern Experiment Stations, agInnovation South, and the national Land-Grant System with exemplary distinction. Through this person’s leadership he/she shall have personified the highest level of excellence by enhancing the cause and performance of the agInnovation South in achieving its mission, the vision for the Southern Agricultural Experiment Stations and the Land-Grant ideal.

Eligibility. “Directors,” former or current, who have provided service in a Southern Region Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES) directorate as assistant director, associate director, director, or as chief operating officers with equivalent but variant titles (e.g. vice chancellor, associate vice chancellor, associate vice president, dean for research) recognized by the agInnovation South and/or as a former or current executive director or director-at-large (DAL) of agInnovation South. This award is distinctive in its expectations and not necessarily coincident with retirement, election to specific office or any other specific professional benchmark.

Process. Nominations for the recognition may be submitted to the Awards Committee, agInnovation South, on or before February 1 of each year. The Awards Committee will present its recommendations to the executive committee, agInnovation South. The award(s) will be presented jointly by the chair, agInnovation South, and the chair of the Awards Committee during the regularly scheduled Spring meeting of the agInnovation South.

Number of Awards. This award will be presented as deserving nominees are made known to and accepted by the Awards Committee, and will not necessarily be presented every year. Normally, one award may be presented annually during the Spring meeting of the agInnovation South. However, under extraordinary circumstances as defined by the awards committee and accepted by the executive committee as exceptional conditions, and pursuant to the meritorious achievements of the nominees, as many as three awards may be issued in any given year.

Award. The award shall be signified by the creation of a suitably inscribed piece approved by the executive committee and presented to the recipient or his/her proxy and will be further memorialized by a resolution to be read during a suitable ceremony to be witnessed by the Southern Directors and to be spread upon the minutes of the agInnovation South. Further, a plaque will be established to be maintained by the Executive Director, agInnovation South, which will chronologically register the recipients as an archive for the award. The home institution shall be made aware of the recognition by formal letter from the chair, agInnovation South, to the chief executive officer of the institution and its governing body (Board of Trustees, Board of Regents) with others copied as appropriate. The winner of the regional award will also receive the national award- Experiment Station Section award for Excellence in Leadership and shall be announced during the annual meeting of the Experiment Station Section of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) and a letter affirming the award shall be presented to the President, APLU.

Nominations. Nominations shall include a statement of accomplishments prepared by the nominator(s) unbeknown to the candidate and supported by letters from three (3) to five (5) former or current members of the agInnovation South. Other letters of support from the home and other institutions may be submitted with the discretion of the nominator(s). Nominations shall address the contributions of the nominee to the land-grant ideal through service to include offices held, committee service, other service and, especially, special and extraordinary service activities. Such service shall pertain to agInnovation South and should include for example: active participation in affairs of the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP); regional, national and/or international special assignments with distinctive performance that has advanced the cause of the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors and the land-grant mission and ideal; and, research in the sciences related to agriculture. Although testimony as to the nominee’s contributions to his/her home state and institution are welcomed, they are not pivotal to assessing the contributions to the association and related activities.

 

agInnovation South Leadership Award Recipients

  • 2003 – James R. Fischer
  • 2004 – William Brown, LA, and Charles J. Scifres, TX
  • 2005 – Richard Jones, FL
  • 2006 – D.C. Coston, OK, and Gale Buchanan, GA
  • 2007 – Nancy Cox, KY, and Vance Watson, MS
  • 2008 – Gerald (Jerry) F. Arkin, GA
  • 2009 – Tom Klindt, TN, and David Morrison, LA
  • 2010 – David Boethel, LA, and Richard Guthrie, AL
  • 2011 – Clarence E. Watson, OK
  • 2012 – Mark McLellan, FL
  • 2013 – Bob Shulstad, GA
  • 2014 – Craig Nessler, TX
  • 2015 – Eric Young, agInnovation South
  • 2016 – Bill Brown, TN
  • 2017 – George Hopper, MS
  • 2018 – John S. Russin, LA
  • 2019 – Saied Mostaghimi, VA
  • 2020- Bob Godfrey, VI
  • 2021- Keith Owens, OK
  • 2022- Jean-Francois Meullenet, AR
  • 2023- Henry Fadamiro, TX
  • 2024- Steve Lommell, NC