Bryan Garton, CAFNR senior associate dean and director of academic programs, received the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Lifetime Achievement Award July 23. The award recognizes agricultural educators for visionary leadership, career dedication and advocacy.
Garton has dedicated more than 40 years to advancing agricultural education through teaching, research, leadership and service. His career began as a secondary agricultural education instructor and FFA advisor in Missouri, where he successfully doubled program enrollment during the Farm Crisis by redesigning curriculum, strengthening community partnerships and demonstrating the value of agricultural education to students and families.
After earning his doctorate from The Ohio State University, Garton joined the University of Missouri faculty in 1993, where he has built an outstanding career as an educator, scholar and administrator. He has taught 21 undergraduate and graduate courses, advised more than 150 undergraduate students and mentored 55 graduate students, many of whom now serve as award-winning educators and academic leaders, nominators said.
His research has advanced evidence-based teaching practices, strengthened teacher preparation and mentoring and improved student learning and engagement. He has authored 114 peer-reviewed publications and earned national recognition for his scholarship.
As a senior academic leader in CAFNR, Garton has helped achieve record student retention and graduation rates, expanded scholarship support, enhanced experiential learning for students and maintained exceptional career placement outcomes.
He has also secured more than $1.18 million in competitive funding to strengthen professional development for agricultural educators and received many of the academic field’s highest honors, including Mizzou’s William T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching.
Garton’s numerous honors reflect a career defined by making a lasting impact on students, educators and the agricultural profession.