Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Sam Feagley, 979-845-1460, sfeagley@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Sam Feagley, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state soil environmental specialist in College Station, has received the Texas A&M AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for teaching.
The Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence recognizes the commitment and outstanding contributions of faculty and staff across Texas A&M AgriLife. The award was presented Jan. 14 at the AgriLife Center on the Texas A&M campus in College Station.
Feagley has been at Texas A&M in the soil and crop sciences department since 1995. With nine soil scientists retiring from 1999 to 2011, Feagley eventually moved from 100 percent AgriLife Extension to 75 percent teaching and 25 percent AgriLife Extension.
Feagley’s philosophy of teaching is that students are here to learn and it is his responsibility and passion to present learning opportunities in and out of the classroom and laboratory, said Dr. David Baltensperger, head of the Texas A&M department of soil and crop sciences in his nomination letter.
“Dr. Feagley’s goal is for each student to learn and succeed at A&M and in their careers.”
Since 2000, he has taught about 1,275 students. Many former students have said his classes helped them obtain a job with an environmental firm and/or has helped them when working with state and federal guidelines, rules and regulations.
“Dr. Feagley has a passion for teaching, students and soil science,” Baltensperger said. “He wants students to be successful in class and in their careers. He is dedicated to this through his studies, interactions with students, interactions with state and federal agencies, and industries related to soil science, environmental sciences, remediation and reclamation.”
Student Daniel Hillin wrote in a letter of support, “When I attended his soil science class, to say that I had a rough time with it at first is putting it mildly. So I went to Dr. Feagley for help and he went out of his way to help me learn the vast amount of material that his class requires.”
Hillin said Feagley would come in the evenings to the soil lab to help students who were struggling with parts of his class.
“The sheer amount of work he puts into ensuring that each individual student understands the material at this level is not seen very often,” Hillin wrote. “His class was not easy, but he has a way of taking very difficult concepts and making them easier for all of us to understand. In addition, he would never give up on you or let you give up on yourself during any part of this process, no matter how painful it was.
“I consider myself a better student and a better person overall for having been able to know and learn from Dr. Feagley. I only hope that one day I will be able to fill his shoes as a fellow Aggie and uphold his legacy of excellence, integrity and selfless service.”
Feagley has been awarded the Special Achievement Award for Teaching in Soil and Crop Sciences, Outstanding Teacher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gamma Sigma Delta and Honor Professor Award in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
He is involved in several national societies, and has received the Soil Science Society of America Council of Soil Science Examiners Outstanding Service Award. He also was honored with that society’s Irrometer Professional Certification Service Award and the American Society of Agronomy Fellow.
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