Agriculture Mechanics Professor to Receive National Teaching Award

Dr. William R. "Billy" Harrell, an Agriculture Mechanics professor at Sam Houston State University since 1969, will receive the NACTA Teacher Fellow Award this June at the annual conference in San Luis Obispo, CA. The Teacher Fellow Award recognizes the best of agriculture educators and their commitment to improving higher education in agriculture.

A review board of NACTA members evaluates candidates for this prestigious award based on teaching involvement over the past five years. In addition to submitted peer, current student, alumni, and administrative evaluations of a nominee’s performance, the individual must provide a detailed essay of his or her teaching philosophy and discuss active involvement both inside and outside of the classroom.

This will be the lifetime member’s second award from NACTA. Dr. Harrell received the John Deere Award, which recognizes the top agricultural mechanization teacher in the region, several years ago. In addition to teaching classes at SHSU, Dr. Harrell works closely with the Texas and National FFA Organizations in oversight of the agriculture mechanics and tractor mechanics career development events and with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Agriculture Mechanics Project Show. He also conducts courses and certification workshops for secondary agriculture science teachers.

NACTA, or North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, is a professional society that promotes and recognizes excellence in teaching agriculture and related fields at the post-secondary level. Founded in 1955, members come from two-year and four-year colleges that have the common bond of agriculture instruction.

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