April 2021

In this issue:

President's Message
Don't Miss Any of Our Networking Sessions at #NACTA21
There is Still Time to Register for #NACTA21!
New NACTA Members
Renew or Become a New NACTA Member

President's Message

With a little over 60 days to go, plans are in full swing as we prepare for the upcoming NACTA Annual Conference. Registration is still open, so if you haven't had the opportunity to sign up, now is the time! This year we welcome attendees from all across North America for what will surely be an exciting week of events. Each day of the conference includes numerous opportunities to network with other educators and students during any of our five workshops. In addition, nearly 200 synchronous and asynchronous oral and poster presentations, our Blue Ribbon and keynote addresses, meetings, and networking sessions provide interactive options for all.

We welcome Dr. Elaine R. Turner from the University of Florida at Gainesville to give our Blue Ribbon Address on Wednesday morning and Dr. Linda Martin from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville to present our opening keynote address on Tuesday. The Annual NACTA Business Meeting will be followed by our Annual NACTA Awards Presentation where we celebrate and honor the outstanding achievements, leadership, and service of our NACTA members and graduate students! We hope you will join us for that special session on Thursday.

Over one-third of our attendees will be joining NACTA for the first time this summer and one-quarter of our attendees are students, representing the NACTA leaders and educators of the future. We encourage these folks, indeed, all who attend, to join the virtual first-time attendee reception to welcome the new participants on Monday. If you are a NACTA member and are interested in joining one of our many committees, you will also have to opportunity to visit them at the Committee Meet and Greet on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We hope you plan to join us and your NACTA Family this June, as we come together for our annual conference!

Stay well, stay safe,

J. Marcos Fernandez
2020-21 NACTA President
Purdue University

Don't Miss Any of Our Networking Sessions at #NACTA21

When asked what they missed at virtual conferences, most of the people we've asked over the last year reply, "The ability to see colleagues and friends for networking over lunch, dinner, in a workshop, or in the hallway of the conference center." While the ability to organically engage in conversation over a meal or at a shared table is something that cannot be replicated, the 2021 NACTA Virtual Conference will offer as many opportunities for quality engagement as possible! Each day of the conference will feature multiple opportunities to meet with other educators and to share ideas, resources, and to discuss topics of interest.

Monday
• First Time Attendee Virtual Reception from 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM ET
• Networking Reception from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

Tuesday
• Daily Welcome from 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM ET
• Oral Session 1 - "Connecting to STEM" from 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
• Committee Meet & Greet from 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Wednesday
• NACTA 2021 Virtual 5k at 8:00 AM ET
• Daily Welcome from 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM ET
• Oral Session 2 - "Innovative Teaching & Learning" from 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
• Committee Meet & Greet from 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Thursday
• Daily Welcome from 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
• Oral Session 3 - "Other" from 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
• Oral Session 4 - "Other" from 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
• NACTA Business Meeting & Awards from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

For more information on the networking sessions, and to register for the 2021 NACTA Annual Conference, please visit www.NACTAconference.org.

There is Still Time to Register for #NACTA21!

The 2021 NACTA Virtual Conference, to be held June 21-24, 2021 is right around the corner! At this annual meeting of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA), you will be able to connect with and learn from others who share your passion for the scholarship of teaching and learning in agriculture, food, and natural resources. The annual NACTA conference will provide new teaching techniques, ideas, and resources. It is also one of the best professional development activities for networking with other teaching professionals where the common discipline is teaching.

By registering for the virtual conference, you will gain access to your choice of workshops, poster presentations, oral presentations, award presentations, and the annual business meeting. Some events, like the poster and oral presentations, will be presented on-demand and available for 60 days after the conference. Please note that you will need to register and be signed-in to view any conference events or presentations.

Additional meeting details and registration can be found at www.nactaconference.org.

New NACTA Members

NACTA had 15 new members in the last month. We hope you will join us in welcoming them!  

Renew or Become a New NACTA Member

NACTA is the largest professional development organization that focuses specifically on the scholarship of teaching and learning in agriculture, food and natural resources.

Need to renew your membership? Want to invite a colleague to join? Want to change your membership status? Visit the membership page here.

We appreciate your NACTA membership!