Purdue Extension presents special awards at conference

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Extension educators and specialists were recognized Thursday (Nov. 8) for the exceptional service they provide in their profession.

Special awards presented during Extension's annual Professional Development Conference luncheon and the honorees are:

* Outstanding Extension Specialist Award: Joan Fulton of Purdue University's Department of Agricultural Economics within the College of Agriculture. Fulton's work in business management and marketing spans Indiana, the United States and the world.

Fulton is a founding member of the Purdue Women in Agriculture team. She has helped to develop programs through Purdue's Center for Food and Agricultural Business, and she was involved in developing the Indiana Cooperative Development Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development.

Fulton helped to plan and was a speaker for the National Value-Added Agriculture Conferences in 2005 and 2006. She has given presentations to cooperatives and associated groups on the topics of roles and responsibilities of cooperative directors and business management.

Her international work includes being a member of a team that reviewed the National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer in Jordan, helping agricultural faculty in Egypt develop agribusiness teaching and Extension programs, and serving as project director for the first 18 months of an effort to help farmers in West Africa with storage of their staple cowpea crops in triple-layer plastic bags.

* Paul B. Crooks Award: Steve Engleking, Extension educator in LaGrange County. The award is presented annually to an Extension educator with at least 10 years of experience and who has made a significant impact in their assigned areas, displayed excellence in teamwork and collaboration, and developed exceptional Extension programming.

Because small farms comprise the bulk of farms in LaGrange County, Engleking has focused on small farms in his programming, which has included improvements in safety on Amish farms. As a result of his work, he serves as the Indiana Small Farms coordinator for the Small Farm Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and co-chair of the Small Farms and Sustainable Agriculture team within Purdue Extension. He is chairing a statewide conference in March for operators of small farms. 

* Purdue Extension Director's Award: Christine Ladisch, inaugural dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, which was created in 2010. She previously was vice provost for academic affairs.

Jim Mintert, interim Extension director, said Ladisch has included Extension in departments within HHS that have not traditionally been engaged in Extension. He also recognized Ladisch for her work to include Extension "as an equal partner in the college's mission, for her commitment to and recognition of faculty and staff engaged in Extension, and for her ongoing efforts to build a college culture that is supportive of Extension."

Ladisch has received departmental, school and university-level awards for teaching excellence, is a member of the Teaching Academy, and is listed in Purdue's Book of Great Teachers. In 2003 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Purdue's former College of Consumer and Family Sciences. In 2010 she was recognized with the One Brick Higher Award for leadership of the university's preparation for institutional accreditation.

Writer: Keith Robinson, 765-494-2722, robins89@purdue.edu

Note to journalists: Photos of the award recipients will be available at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/extension/awards/

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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