Brorsen receives Ferguson College of Agriculture award for Excellence in Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring

Monday, July 29, 2024

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

Dr. Wade  Brorsen, a Regents Professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics, is the 2024 recipient of the Excellence in Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Award. He was recognized at the annual Ferguson College of Agriculture Scholarships and Awards Banquet in April.

Since joining the agricultural economics faculty in 1991, Brorsen has advised 36 doctoral students and more than 20 master’s students. He has served on dozens of dissertation and thesis committees.

Brorsen has coauthored 230 articles with 97 graduate students and also developed 217 paper and poster presentations with graduate students at professional meetings. Dr. Cheryl DeVuyst, agricultural economics department head, said Brorsen’s mark of success as a graduate student advisor is that all his master’s and doctoral students have published at least one research article in an academic journal.

“Dr. Brorsen has spent his career working with graduate students, challenging them to constantly reach for higher quality and to give careful attention to research relevance, communication and methodological support,” DeVuyst said. “His advising and mentoring have made us better and have also strengthened the discipline of agricultural economics around the globe.”

When working with graduate students, Brorsen said he encourages them to choose their own research topics and take ownership of projects.

“I usually ask students what their goals are and try to design a research project that helps them meet those goals,” he said. “Everyone is different, and you can’t treat everyone the same, so it’s important to design a project that fits each student.”

Brorsen also hosts weekly group meetings attended by all his students.

“The group meetings help them set small goals and establish some peer effects,” he said. “It is also a time to celebrate their successes. Students always request we continue the group meetings.”

In addition to working with students, Brorsen has helped implement significant changes to the agricultural economics department’s graduate program, including revising the curriculum, adding a research methodology course and designing the Master of Agriculture in Agribusiness degree program. He serves on the department’s graduate curriculum committee, graduate admissions committee and Ph.D. preliminary examinations committee.

“In Dr. Brorsen’s 33 years of service to OSU, he has made a profound impact not only on the department of agricultural economics but also on graduate student mentorship in our college,” said Dr. Cynda Clary, associate dean for academic programs. “With each student, he is generous with his time and resources and is committed to making graduate education accessible to all.”

Brorsen said his passion for research allows him to integrate his skillset into working with students and helping them complete their own research projects. He said he aims to teach students the scientific method to help them solve problems and understand how they solved them.

“In managing myself, I benefit from working with other people in order to be motivated,” Brorsen said. “I found that working with graduate students is what I like and what I care about.”