NACTA Newsletter - March 2023

Contents

Featured Member: Elizabeth Karcher
USDA Teaching Award Guidelines Discrepancy
New Membership Website and Lifetime+ Membership Option
NACTA Judging Conference Updates
NACTA 2023 Annual Conference Early Bird Deadline
Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
New Members
Renew of Become a NACTA Member

NACTA Featured Member: Elizabeth Karcher

Each month we sit down with a member to highlight their academic and professional career, and to see how they are making the best of their membership in NACTA. This month’s Featured Member is NACTA's Eastern Regional Director Elizabeth Karcher.

Elizabeth "Liz" Karcher  
Associate Professor of Animal Sciences and Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs 
Purdue University

How long have you been a member of NACTA? 

My first meeting was in Bozeman, Montana in 2014 and I joined the year before that. I was on faculty at Michigan State University at the time. It was my first time presenting at NACTA, either a poster or oral presentation. What was most memorable for me was that up to that point I had mostly just gone to dairy science meetings every year. Being with people (at NACTA) who talked about teaching and learning for a whole week was eye opening and exciting. There were people who wanted to talk about the scholarship of teaching and learning and wanted to bounce ideas off each other. I didn’t get as much of that as I’d wished before that meeting. I realized there could be a place for me in this organization.

What differences have you noticed in NACTA from your first meeting in 2014 to your involvement today? 
(In my time serving in NACTA) being able to see the logistics of the association, you see a little of the other side. I’ve also been excited in the last few years seeing the changes that are happening, the future of the organization and how that can be impactful. When you can see an organization actively working to move forward it is exciting to see.  

Tell me about your role with NACTA this year. 
I’m serving as the Eastern Regional Director for a few more months, with my term ending in June. Most of my time as an Regional Director has been spent deciding what that role entails and working with the team of other Regional Directors to see how we can be most effective. I’m also an associate editor for the NACTA Journal as well. Michel (Wattiaux) asked if I’d be interested in getting with the Global Engagement group so I am interested in joining that group when my time as an Regional Director is complete.  

What are you looking forward to? 
I’m really excited about in-person meetings this summer. Zoom is fine but there isn’t that same sense of connection. I’m excited to sit down with and have conversations with people. It was harder for me to be engaged throughout the pandemic and online meetings. I’m looking forward to growing in my role as an Associate Editor and keeping that engagement with the organization.  

When I was elected as a Regional Director, three of us came on at the same time. We decided we would have monthly meetings to discuss what we wanted to do in this role, how we could be impactful, and how to achieve that. We worked together with the Membership & PR Committee and then-President Susie Whittington to give more structure to the role. Looking ahead, we are wondering what else the regional directors can do. For instance, foster community building within the region, run workshops, potentially name 3-4 Assistant Regional Directors. What would be their role? What’s the role of campus ambassadors? How can we encourage graduate student involvement to create lifelong educators and NACTA members? Five years from now, there will be something we keep building upon to give structure to the program. We are putting a plan into place to make a difference. 

What was your most memorable teaching moment?
We’ve had students faint from time to time. You get out of the classroom setting and there is so much adventure with study abroad. You can plan and plan but you never know what could happen.

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USDA Teaching Award Guidelines Discrepancy

The Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU) recently announced that discrepancies were found in the award guidelines for the USDA Excellence in Teaching Award. The guidelines list both March 15th and April 15th as due dates. The correct due date is April 15th. In addition, the guidelines and the nomination form vary with respect to the number of pages included in the packet. Please follow the guidelines information found on pages 11-12; the guidelines supersede the nomination form.

For more information on the application process, you can view the webinar recording of “Crafting Successful Nominations for the USDA Teaching Excellence Awards Program.” Please do not hesitate to reach out to Wendy Fink (wfink@aplu.org), Executive Director of the APLU, with any questions.

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New Membership Website and Lifetime+ Membership Option

we are proud to announce the launch of the new NACTA Membership website! The NACTA member experience has transitioned to YourMembership with new content and resources becoming available to members in the coming weeks. We look forward to sharing all the exciting news and feature updates as they become available and appreciate your patience as we grow into this new platform. At this time, all NACTA membership dues will be processed through the new website. 

To log in, please click here. If you run into any trouble logging in, please view this short instructional video. If you are still having log in issues, please reach out to support@nactateachers.org.

In addition, we are introducing a new membership level called Life Plus. Life Plus is an optional membership plan allowing life members to donate $25 yearly to the NACTA Foundation—new or current Life members can opt into the Life Plus plan.

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NACTA Judging Conference Updates

As a reminder, registration for the NACTA 2023 Judging Contest is currently available. The deadline for registration is April 1st. Registration can be found here. The listing of contest rules has been updated, so we encourage those who have registered or plan to register to review them.

NACTA Judging Conference Info

Here is the current list of contests:

• Ag Business Contest
  • Ag Business Case Study Scenario
• Ag Communication Contest
  • Ag Communication Case Study Scenario
• Ag Mechanics Contest
• Computer Application Contest
• Crops Contest - Updated
• Dairy Cattle Judging Contest
• Dairy Management Contest
• Equine Management Contest
• Horticulture Contest
• Knowledge Bowl Contest
• Livestock Judging Contest
• Livestock Management Contest
• Meats Judging Contest Classes - (classes are indicated; contest rules coming soon)
• Poster Contest
• Professional Portfolio Contest
• Soils Contest - Contest Outlines: 2-Year and 4-Year
  • Soils Contest Scorecards: 2-Year and 4-Year
• Veterinary Science Contest

Register Today!

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#NACTA23 Annual Conference Early Bird Deadline

The NACTA 2023 Annual Conference is right around the corner! The Early Bird registration deadline is April 15, 2023. You won't want to miss the exciting schedule of events prepared for this summer's conference.

Please note that ALL presenters and speakers must be registered by April 15, 2023.

#NACTA23 Conference Info

The annual conference of NACTA offers many opportunities for education and networking and brings agricultural education across the continuum together. This conference offers workshops, poster and oral presentations, Keynote and Blue Ribbon presentations, and many networking opportunities each day. At this annual conference of NACTA, you will be able to connect with and learn from others who share the same passion for the improvement of teaching and learning in agriculture, food and natural resources.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know at support@nactateachers.org. Additional meeting details and registration can be found at www.nactaconference.org.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in Las Cruces! 

Register Today!

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Upcoming Dates & Deadlines

March 15, 2023: REEU: Expanding Opportunities in Agricultural Sciences - Crop to Food Innovation
March 31, 2023: AOAC Student Award
April 1, 2023: NACTA Judging Conference Registration Deadline
April 3, 2023: APS Innovative Teaching Awards open for applications
April 15, 2023:  USDA Excellence in Teaching Awards
April 15, 2023: #NACTA23 Early Bird Deadline
May 1, 2023: APS Mini-Administrative Sabbatical

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New Members

NACTA had 71 new members since our last newsletter. We hope you join us in welcoming them!

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Renew or Become a New NACTA Member
NACTA is the largest professional development organization that focuses specifically on the scholarship of teaching and learning in agriculture, food and natural resources.

Need to renew your membership? Want to invite a colleague to join? Want to change your membership status? Visit the membership page here.

We appreciate your NACTA membership!

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