Anderson named DASNR's outstanding teacher

Anderson received the OSU Alpha Zeta Outstanding Teacher Award during the 2008 College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Scholarship and Awards Banquet.

The division is comprised of the college and two statewide agencies: the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

A faculty member in the department of agricultural economics, Anderson serves as OSU Cooperative Extension grain marketing specialist and holds the Charles A. Breedlove professorship in agribusiness.

“Dr. Anderson’s excellence in his teaching, research and Extension activities has been recognized with many regional and national awards, but a teaching honor is always extra special when it is given by those who were or are actually taking his classes,” said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director.

Whitson said receiving this stamp of approval is a real honor. The students themselves are saying, “Dr. Anderson is making a difference in our lives, providing us with the knowledge to solve real-world issues and helping us to reach our lifelong career goals.”

In the classroom, Anderson’s approach is anything but typical: He holds students accountable as “employees,” and students must complete the “Sashay with a Salesperson” and “Ready, Set, Sell” projects to pass the course. Both projects require students to interact heavily with industry professionals. He even gives his own “infomercials,” making explanations to students about how they will use the information presented in his lectures not only entertaining but more memorable, and therefore more effective.

OSU agricultural economist Phil Kenkel, holder of the university’s Bill Fitzwater Endowed Cooperative Chair, said one message came across time and again from faculty and students when he was identifying how to structure an outstanding class: “If you want to develop a great class, figure out how Dr. Kim Anderson does it.”

Anderson designed his Agricultural Product Marketing and Sales course – which averages an enrollment of 114 students each semester – from the ground up.

“Students love his class,” Kenkel said. “Kim spent time at a local implement dealer. He rode with other agri-sales professionals. He identified the best aspects of similar courses across the nation. The result was a course filled with hands-on experiences, industry interaction and a real-world focus.”

The class attracts students from across the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, as well as the OSU School of Business.

A faculty member in the department of agricultural economics since August 1982, Anderson is also a Cowboy alumnus, having earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and doctoral degrees at OSU in 1974, 1976 and 1980, respectively. He served on the faculty of the University of Kentucky from 1980-1982.

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REPORTER/MEDIA CONTACT:
Donald Stotts
News and Media Relations Manager
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Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-4079
Fax: 405-744-5739
E-Mail: donald.stotts@okstate.edu

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