Two members of the Texas A&M University faculty were honored with the 2024 Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence (PPTE) Award, which is conferred upon the most prestigious teachers at Texas A&M University. Recipients exhibit a profound commitment to excellence in teaching as indicated by both scholarship of teaching and learning within their discipline and impacts upon their students and colleagues. At the time of nomination, candidates must have at least five years of full-time service to Texas A&M University and should have a demonstrated record of teaching excellence, including college-level teaching awards.
Presidential Professors receive a certificate, a commemorative medallion. and a monetary award of $25,000. Awardees bear the designation “Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence” for the rest of their careers.
More information about the Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence award can be found here.
The 2024 recipients of the Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence are:
Tryon Wickersham
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Department of Animal Science
Dr. Tryon Wickersham completed a Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition at Kansas State University in 2006. He then joined the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University as an assistant professor, earned promotion to associate professor in 2012, and was subsequently promoted to professor in 2022. Dr. Wickersham has taught 5,521 Texas A&M students in both graduate and undergraduate courses, supervised 10 undergraduate research thesis projects and served as a committee chair for 34 master’s students and 10 Ph.D. students. Additionally, he has served on the committees for 51 graduate students. Dr. Wickersham’s research focuses on improving the sustainability of beef cattle production by incorporating novel coproducts into cattle diets and describing nitrogen metabolism in beef cattle. His lab recently quantified U.S. beef production systems’ capacity to “upcycle protein” allowing consumers and stakeholders to understand more clearly the role of beef in healthy and sustainable human diets. Dr. Wickersham’s research program has received over $6 million in funding, and he has published 70 peer-reviewed papers and 141 abstracts. He has received numerous teaching awards, which include the Texas A&M AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence (2022), Teaching (2021 and 2013), the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017), Center for Teaching Excellence Curriculum Fellow (2014), North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Award of Merit (2013), The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching - University Level (2013), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Honor Professor (2011) and The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching - College Level.
Robert "Jay" Woodward
School of Education and Human Development
Department of Educational Psychology
Dr. Robert “Jay” Woodward received his Ph.D. in educational psychology from Texas A&M University in 2004. He joined the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M as a clinical assistant professor in 2011 and was promoted to clinical professor in 2023. Dr. Woodward teaches a variety of courses that range from large core-curriculum offerings to specialized experiences, including: a field practicum where students can solidify interests in working with youth; a teaching internship for graduate students to develop instructional skills; a directed studies class designed to facilitate global learning; and taking over 200 students to each of the world’s seven continents in the last five years, including leading the first ever Texas A&M study abroad to Antarctica. His Creativity is Forever textbook is utilized by 17 universities and enabled 11 of his students to earn a contributing author credit. Dr. Woodward’s practices regarding the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning have been disseminated through presentations at state, national, and international conferences. He has customized instruction for the 21st Century Classroom building and received grant funding to create a virtual study abroad experience. Dr. Woodward’s teaching acumen has been formally recognized at the departmental, college, and university level. He maintains leadership roles within each of those areas, serving as chair of the Learning Sciences Division in the Department of Educational Psychology, the High-Impact Practices Faculty Leadership Fellow in the School of Education and Human Development, and the assistant director for the Texas A&M Office for Youth Engagement. Dr. Woodward is one of only four faculty members to have won three university-level Distinguished Achievement Awards from The Association of Former Students in three different categories and he currently holds a Thaman [University] Professorship for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence.