NCTA faculty Rittenhouse and Smith nominated to be associate professors

NCTA faculty Rittenhouse and Smith nominated to be associate professors

Faculty colleagues Dr. Doug Smith, center of second row, and Mary Rittenhouse, at right back row, joined standing, from left, Jennifer McConville, Dr. Brad Ramsdale and Eric Reed at the 2016 NCTA Commencement. Front row, from left, is Regent Bob Phares of North Platte, now-UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green (IANR VIce Chancellor last year), University President Hank Bounds, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and NCTA Dean Ron Rosati.
Faculty colleagues Dr. Doug Smith, center of second row, and Mary Rittenhouse, at right back row, joined standing, from left, Jennifer McConville, Dr. Brad Ramsdale and Eric Reed at the 2016 NCTA Commencement. Front row, from left, is Regent Bob Phares of North Platte, now-UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green (IANR VIce Chancellor last year), University President Hank Bounds, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and NCTA Dean Ron Rosati.

April 27, 2017

By NCTA News                                                                                

Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture faculty members Mary Rittenhouse and Douglas Smith of Curtis are among University of Nebraska personnel honored this week in Lincoln.

The pair of professors are among honorees recognized on April 25 with a public reception at the University of Nebraska's International Quilt Study Center.

Ron Rosati, dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, said the two met faculty criteria in 2017 to be considered for promotion from assistant professor.

“Promotion to associate professor is a major milestone in the career of a faculty member,” Rosati said. “Being promoted to this rank means your peers have evaluated your professional accomplishments and they feel you have achievement sufficient to warrant this honor.”

Final actions on promotion recommendations will be made by the Board of Regents later this summer.

Rittenhouse and Smith are among 13 fulltime faculty at the agriculture college in Curtis, which is part of the University of Nebraska system.

Prior to joining NCTA in 2015, Rittenhouse previously was with the faculty of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. In addition to serving as division chairman and teaching courses in economics and agribusiness, Rittenhouse is the coordinator of the NCTA Accreditation Committee. She earned an MBA with emphasis in economics from UNK.

Smith joined the faculty in 2011 and also is the NCTA Livestock Judging Team Coach. He serves as a Professor of Practice with the UNL Departments of Animal Science, and Agricultural, Leadership, Education and Communications. His doctorate in agricultural education is from Texas A&M University.

“Doug and Mary are outstanding faculty – highly competent and very dedicated to their students,” Rosati noted. “This recognition is very appropriate.”

Rosati said the two faculty members will be recognized at NCTA's campus during year-end activities in May. The NCTA graduation is at 1:30 p.m. on May 4 at the Curtis Memorial Community Center.

The 2017 Promotion and Tenure brochure is available for download at http://academicaffairs.unl.edu/.

Online article: http://go.unl.edu/dmjk

See the PDF for individual photos of Dr. Smith and Ms. Rittenhouse.                              

Download a PDF of this press release