UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2023
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture recognized some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards and promotions luncheon on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 15, 2023. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute.
UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the award winners and celebrated their work. “I’m excited to celebrate the amazing work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “These awards are well-deserved and represent our employees’ steadfast dedication to their work, the Institute and the people of Tennessee. The impact of their accomplishments and passion will be felt for generations to come.”
Brad Collett, professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and director of the Tennessee RiverLine, is the recipient of the Williams – E.R. “Prof” Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award. Established by Mr. Donald E. Williams, a 1961 graduate of the College of Agriculture, this award honors his former professor and mentor, Professor E.R. Lidvall. The award recognizes faculty who exemplify Lidvall’s commitment to excellence in the classroom and his commitment to the needs and interests of the student.
“I’m humbled to have been nominated and selected to receive this award by the Institute and my esteemed colleagues in the Department of Plant Sciences,” says Collett. “Professor Lidvall was an extraordinary teacher and an exemplary AGR brother. The honor of receiving an award of his namesake is only superseded by the opportunity to be a part of the academic and professional journey of so many aspiring designers and landscape architects.”
Collett has been at UT for 12 years. During that time, he led the School of Landscape Architecture to its initial accreditation in 2012 as interim chair and has continued supporting its growth since as a member of the school’s faculty. He also led the Glorious Gardens study abroad program for eight years and oversaw the redevelopment of the Sustainable Landscape Design Concentration in the Department of Plant Sciences. Today, Collett is inspiring and empowering students to make real and enduring impact in the region through experiential learning and the Tennessee RiverLine initiative.
Collett earned a master’s degree in landscape architecture from The Ohio State University. His many accomplishments include the 2021 and 2019 UT System President’s Citation of Merit, the 2021 UT Alumni Association Public Service Award, the 2018 Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence
in Academic Outreach, named in the 2017 Greater Knoxville Business Journal’s 40 under 40, a 2016 Fulbright U.S. Teaching Scholar, the 2016 W.F. and Golda Moss Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2013 William T. Miles Memorial Award for Community Service, and the 2001 Torchbearer Award.
Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.