Exhibiting the versatility, scope and reach of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, the college's School of Human Environmental Sciences has been named U of A's winner of the 2023 Daniel E. Ferritor Award for Departmental Excellence in Teaching.

The school is the first unit of Bumpers College to win the award.

The award recognizes a department or unit that best displays teaching excellence for each academic year. Winners are selected based on the department or unit's sustained commitment to teaching excellence, faculty development and student success, and how well it measures excellence in teaching and learning.

"This award attests to the faculty's commitment to teaching and learning excellence," said Donna L. Graham, director of the school. "Besides innovation in classroom instruction, faculty devote hours to various experiential activities to enhance students' problem-solving and creative thinking. Their passion and investment in students' growth and success are commendable."

The School of Human Environmental Sciences focuses on the basics of life — family, community, food, clothing and environment, with all related to the university's land-grant mission of teaching and education, research, and service and outreach.

Concentrations include apparel merchandising and product development; birth through kindergarten; food, nutrition and health; hospitality management; human development and family sciences; and human nutrition and dietetics.

"This is a tremendous honor for the School of Human Environmental Sciences, and congratulations to all the faculty and staff who worked to receive this well-deserved recognition," said Jean-Francois Meullenet, interim dean of Bumpers College. "At first glance, some may wonder how HESC fits in with Bumpers College, but all of those concentrations are connected to food, nutrition, health, fiber, education, service, research, well-being and meeting the needs of families and individuals. Bumpers College focuses on the land-grant mission, and HESC connects us in areas some of our traditional departments do not reach."

Students in the apparel merchandising and product development program prepare for careers in apparel merchandising, product development, brand management, retail buying and management. Birth through kindergarten majors develop skills to teach infants, toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners with and without disabilities, and are accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education Teacher Licensure. Students in food, nutrition and health are prepared for careers in health-related industries or research. Hospitality students go into areas such as event planning, lodging, food and beverage management. Graduates of the human development and family sciences program have experience and skills to work with people of all ages in a variety of settings. Nutrition and dietetics students are prepared to enter graduate school and supervised practice programs to continue the process of becoming registered dietitian nutritionists.

Among many efforts to be more student-focused, the School of Human Environmental Sciences:

• Organizes and participates in two retreats yearly to strengthen cultural competency and is the only unit on campus assessed and trained in intercultural competency three times among all faculty, staff and graduate students on the Intercultural Development Inventory;
• Faculty members include three Fellows of the Teaching Academy, a national USDA Teaching Award recipient, a Baum Teaching Award winner, Dr. John and Mrs. Lois Imhoff Award recipient for Outstanding Teaching and Student Mentorship, an Outstanding Mentor Award from U of A's Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and an Honors College Distinguished Faculty Award recipient;
• Monitors teaching effectiveness beyond standard student evaluations through peer observation of teaching, assessment by alumni, advisory boards and student feedback regarding curriculum and culture;
• Supports faculty through certifications, teaching publications, grant funding, presentations and the creation of new courses;
• Faculty provide one-on-one advising and mentoring by meeting with students at least once each semester to discuss coursework and progress, reporting students who are not doing well to the dean's office and provide updated degree audits;
• Provides high impact experiences through the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center, the annual Enclothe fashion show, the annual SMASH (Students Mastering the Art of Southern Hospitality) dining fundraising event, Pineapple Café student-run restaurant, internships, research opportunities and service learning experiences.

The award is named in honor of former U of A Chancellor Daniel E. Ferritor, recognizing his longstanding commitment to students and faculty and consistent support for excellence in teaching and learning at the U of A. The Teaching Academy, organized by Ferritor in 1988, co-sponsors the award with the Provost's Office and seeks to advocate and represent teaching interests, promote and stimulate an environment of teaching and learning excellence, and encourage recognition and reward for exceptional teaching.

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: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.