Student Nomination Lands Horticulture's McDonald on Minority Role Model List

Photo Services

Garry McDonald, clinical assistant professor of horticulture in Bumpers College, will be recognized as a Minority Access role model at this week's Twentieth National Role Models Conference.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Following a nomination by a student, Garry McDonald, clinical assistant professor in U of A's Department of Horticulture, Landscape and Turf Sciences, has been named a Minority Access National Role Model by Minority Access.

He will be recognized at the Twentieth National Role Models Conference this week at National Harbor, Maryland. He is also featured in the 2019 National Role Models Book.

According to Minority Access, "Our aim is to identify inspirational role models in various categories to inspire others to emulate them, and thereby increase the pool of scholars and professionals who will find cures for illnesses or solve technological problems or address social disparities in society."

McDonald, who is also chair of the Curriculum Committee for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, was nominated by student David Jerkins.

The nomination included: "An uncommon example that describes Dr. McDonald's role model skills perfectly is the course he teaches during the summer (Sustainable Techniques in Urban Horticulture Production) where he provides students from all races and ethnicities (opportunities) to collaborate in getting hands-on experience in farm and food production. Dr. McDonald's ability to effectively get students to work together and learn from each other and to truly appreciate one another's background is a testament to his skills. There were students who had never been around other races. Dr. McDonald is able to push each student academically, mentally and physically without the students feeling overwhelmed, and understanding their fellow students will help and that they are not alone. As a result, we became a close group of individuals helping each other to succeed. Not many undergraduate classes provide students the opportunity of physically working together in order to succeed. As an African American student, when the summer course was ending, no one, not one student, black, white, male or female, wanted the summer course to end. Dr. McDonald was able to bring all of us together as a single unit, to care for and to respect one another."

"I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award," said McDonald. "While winning any award is satisfying, this award is especially meaningful because it was student initiated. If a student takes the time and effort to nominate a teacher, it means we are making a difference."

The nomination also included this from Jerkins: "Dr. McDonald understands each student is different with different backgrounds, therefore, he spends time getting to know each student to ensure they not only do well in class but succeed in life…Among these are students who have returned to school after extended absences from the university, students who have struggled financially to stay in school, students who have been overwhelmed by the experience of entering a large academic institution and those who simply struggle to fit in."

McDonald, who focuses his research on the development and use of resource efficient landscape plants, native plant development, stormwater runoff control and treatment, and the history of the relationship between humans and plants, has been a U of A faculty member since 2008. He earned his Ph.D. in horticulture (2007), and his bachelor's (1983) and master's degrees (1990) in floriculture all from Texas A&M University.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 3 percent of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.