UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture recognized extraordinary service from members of the faculty and staff across the state at its annual awards and promotions event, held this year on August 21, 2020. Honorees were recognized virtually during a Zoom presentation rather than a fun, in-person luncheon. This change in venue did not minimize the amazing accomplishments for 2020. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by past faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute.
Marcy Souza, professor in the Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, is the winner of the Webster Pendergrass Award. This honor is presented in memory of former UT Vice President of Agriculture Webster Pendergrass and recognizes a teaching, research or Extension faculty member who has contributed to the fulfillment of the Institute’s goals and objectives.
Souza serves as director of veterinary public health with the Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Services, where she helped establish a dual Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Public Health program. She’s mentored 45 graduate students in the veterinary concentration and served as a leader with the Human Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT) program. Souza is also a member of the Knox County Board of Health, a group that has been especially busy outlining the area’s response to COVID-19.
“I am honored to receive this award and am proud to be involved in the many facets of UTIA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Souza says. “I have had the privilege to work with many talented individuals over the last few months. But to be honest, I would rather not have the award and not have the pandemic. Stay healthy.”
UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice President Tim Cross hosted the Zoom session for the award winners and praised them for their work. “Now more than ever, it’s critical that we take time to acknowledge the award-winning work that our faculty and staff carry out, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,” Cross says. “Tennesseans can count on the real-life solutions that the UT Institute of Agriculture provides to students and stakeholders from communities throughout Tennessee and beyond to enhance the economy, conserve the environment, and develop leaders for the future.”
Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.