Cynda Clary, associate dean for Academic Programs, and Jayson Lusk, vice president and dean of OSU Agriculture, present Bruce Dunn (middle) with the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dunn receives Ferguson College of Agriculture Excellence in Teaching Award

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | sophia.fahleson@okstate.edu

Bruce Dunn, professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, is the 2024 recipient of the Ferguson College of Agriculture Excellence in Teaching Award. Dunn received the honor at the annual Ferguson College Scholarships and Awards Banquet in April.

Dunn joined the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture faculty in 2008 and teaches several courses, including Principles of Horticulture, Plant Propagation, Greenhouse Management and Urban Horticulture Production.

Justin Quetone Moss, horticulture and landscape architecture department head, credits Dunn for many positive changes made within the department.

“Dr. Dunn is organized, passionate and committed to student learning.” Moss said.

Moss said Dunn was instrumental in developing new courses to support the addition of the urban horticulture major option. Dunn was also a part of the initiative to update the college’s greenhouse teaching facilities, which led to the construction of the state-of-the-art Greenhouse Learning Center in 2019, Moss added.

“We are thrilled to honor Dr. Dunn with the Excellence in Teaching Award,” said Cynda Clary, associate dean for academic programs. “His efforts to modernize resources and educational opportunities has positively impacted not only students within his department, but students across the university and members of our community.”

In addition to teaching, Dunn mentors undergraduate and graduate students and advises the Horticulture Club and OSU’s Phi Alpha Xi chapter. He is also the department’s undergraduate teaching coordinator, chairs the teaching curriculum committee and served as a facilitator on OSU’s academic integrity panel.

An OSU alumnus, Dunn said his teaching philosophy is based on his own experience as an undergraduate student in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

“As I think back to my undergraduate days, I remember feeling like my instructors cared about me and had enthusiasm for the subject matter,” Dunn said. “I was shown teaching methods that I found to be useful, and now I get to implement them in my own courses.”

Dunn said he is constantly adapting his teaching methods to ensure each student is learning effectively and gaining career-ready skills from his courses.

“It’s not hard to get students in the Ferguson College excited about coursework because they are ready to learn,” Dunn said. “It’s about finding the techniques to help build their skillsets and prepare them for success.”