Lake Land College was one of six colleges in the nation to receive the NAAE Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program Award for 2018. Lake Land College was one of only three community colleges to receive the award. Pictured left to right: Agriculture Instructor/Judging Team Coach Jordan Rauch, retired John Deere Technology Instructor Allen Drake, John Deere Technology Instructor Russell Neu, Ag Power Technology Instructor Anthony Reinhart, Agronomy Instructor/Farm manager Mark Niemerg, John Deere Technology Instructor Robert Miller, Division Chair Agriculture/Agriculture Instructor Ryan Orrick, Agriculture Business Instructor Ryan Wildman, Horticulture Instructor Dyke Barkley. Photo submitted by Lake Land College.
Lake Land College Agriculture Program Receives National Recognition
Lake Land College was one of six colleges in the nation to receive the NAAE Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program Award for 2018. Lake Land College was one of only three community colleges to receive the award.
The award recognizes exemplary postsecondary institutions and full-time young farmer and adult ag ed programs.
Geographically divided into six regions, the National Association of Agriculture Educators is a federation of state agricultural educators’ associations with more than 7,800 members. The organization provides professional development for agricultural educators and works to recruit and retain agricultural educators in the profession.
“This award is a celebration of past and current contributors of the ag division,” Division Chair Agriculture/Agriculture Instructor Ryan Orrick said.
The association selected the award recipients based on colleges’ program mission, experiential learning and examples of how students have gotten involved in work-based learning such as cooperative education and internships, and partnerships with schools, community and industry leaders. The award comes with an invitation to the 2018 NAAE Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
The division encompasses nine instructors who specialize in targeted instruction based on their areas of agriculture industry expertise, and lower student to teacher ratios promote an individualized learning experience and family atmosphere.
The Lake Land College Agriculture Division offers 12 programs designed to prepare students for workforce and transfer opportunities such as the John Deere Tech program, one of few programs in the country that offers students first-hand experience working at a John Deere dealership.
To learn more about the award visit naae.org, click on “Members,” and find “Awards and Grants.” To learn more about Lake Land College’s Agricultural Division visit lakelandcollege.edu and under “Academics” go to “Academic Division Information.”
