Congratulations to Brett Arenz on receiving a 2023 Award for Excellence in Academic Service. This award is given by the University of Minnesota Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and recognizes faculty for “exceptional service that has strengthened the functioning and climate of their unit or department.” 2023 is the inaugural year of this award, which also comes with funding for professional development or research work.
Brett Arenz’s commitment to the Department of Plant Pathology is remarkable in both depth and breadth. He holds down three cornerstone roles: Associate Teaching Faculty, Director of Graduate Studies, and Plant Disease Clinic (PDC) director. Between teaching five courses, leading and working in a clinic that completes over 2000 plant diagnoses a year, and advising and mentoring students, Brett has also found time to be on a wide range of committees within CFANS, the University, and the National Plant Diagnostic Network (to which the PDC is affiliated).
Brett is a skillful and involved teacher in a variety of settings, including beyond the classroom. In teaching the Field Plant Pathology course, Brett brings students around the state to see plant health at work in various real-world settings, from family farms to floral nurseries. He also teaches online coursework and has been a go-to resource for other faculty in this area, including serving on a University task force for online teaching in 2020. And by opening the PDC diagnostic lab to undergraduate and graduate student interns, Brett provides hands-on educational opportunities as well as fostering relationships with students as they learn and develop interests.
As Department Head Ruth Dill-Macky stated, “Brett has effectively merged his role as director with his responsibilities as an instructor, simultaneously positioning the PDC as an educational asset for our students and a pipeline for our graduate programs. Novel, real-world experiential learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate interns in plant pathology have served to further student interest in our field.”
An alumni of the department’s MS and PhD programs, Brett Arenz is now a cornerstone of our educational and diagnostic programs. Congratulations, Brett, on a well-deserved award!