UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrated the accomplishments of some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards and promotions luncheon. This year’s ceremony was held in the newly-opened Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 14, 2024. 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 praised them for their work. “I continue to be amazed by the dedication, enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by the impressive work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “The awards are well deserved, and the impacts of these accomplishments are seen across the state and will benefit Tennesseans for generations.”
Christopher Cooper, UT-TSU Shelby County director and Master Gardener coordinator, is one recipient of the Charles and Julie Wharton Award for Outstanding Extension Achievements. Established by long-time supporters of the Institute of Agriculture Charles Wharton and his late wife Julie, and now supported by Charles and Lori Wharton, this award is presented to three UT Extension agents annually. These agents often run programs in any area, including agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, and resource development. Special consideration is given to those individuals who have demonstrated excellence in serving local needs for five years or more. Matthew Deist, with UT-TSU Extension Franklin County, and Tom Rison, director of UT-TSU Extension Claiborne County, also received this award. Cooper is being recognized for his commitment to the programming he runs for his community.
Cooper has worked for UTIA for 16 years, and is one of Extension’s most recognizable representatives, especially in the Memphis area. He is the host of “The Family Plot” – a gardening show on WKNO-TV, a Memphis area PBS station. The show features Cooper and other Extension experts as they share gardening tips for the Mid-South. An avid gardener himself, Cooper along with the Memphis Area Master Gardeners lead a program called “Through Our Garden Gates,” which includes tours of some of the most beautiful home gardens in Shelby County.
Cooper is a previous recipient of the UTIA Vernon and Ida Darter Award and the TAAA&S Distinguished Service Award. Of this new recognition of service, he says, “I am deeply grateful for this incredible honor. Receiving this award is truly humbling and I am immensely thankful for the recognition. I would like to thank the Wharton family for making this award possible.”
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.