by Karlie Gerlach | IANR Communications
Lincoln, Neb. —The Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department announced the first inaugural recipient of the Lloyd Bell Scholarship for Teaching Excellence in Nebraska Agricultural Education. Agricultural Education student Danie Brandl from Humphrey, Nebraska was named the 2022 recipient of the scholarship.
“As a recipient, I feel very honored to receive this scholarship,” said Brandl. “It’s special to know that the faculty and the other supporters of the scholarship are helping fund my education and believe in me to receive a scholarship that is so prestigious.”
Brandl is a current senior in the ALEC Department and will graduate in 2023. Following graduation, she will begin teaching at Elm Creek Public Schools as an agricultural educator and FFA supervisor. With the current demand for agricultural educators, Brandl was able to secure this position 18 months in advance before graduation.
It was the preparation and experience that the ALEC Department gave Brandl to secure such a position so far in advance. Brandl explained that the program gave her the baseline knowledge of how to be a teacher and build connections with current ag educators and industry professionals.
The ALEC Department has continuously shaped future agricultural educators through the mentorship of Dr. Lloyd Bell. Before serving the ALEC Department as a teacher educator for around 40 years, Dr. Bell previously taught at West Point and Blair.
“Over his tenure, he has been a steady force for good when it comes to agriculture education in the state of Nebraska,” said Matt Kreifels, associate professor of practice in the ALEC Department.
When Dr. Bell announced his retirement, the department decided to celebrate his service with a scholarship in his name. Those impacted by Dr. Bell and his work began to quickly contribute to help set up this endowment scholarship that would exist in perpetuity. Through this scholarship, the innovation that Dr. Bell created in agricultural education will continue to be celebrated.
“His legacy is played out every single day in the 210 programs around the state because his fingerprints are all over teachers as he helped them prepare to be in the profession they are in,” said Mark Balschweid, Department Head of the Agriculture Leadership, Education and Communication department.
The department will be able to carry on the legacy of Dr. Bell and his impact on agriculture education through three new faculty members that were added this past spring. The department welcomed Monty Larsen, Troy White, and Becky Haddad in the spring to help continue preparing and supporting future ag educators in Nebraska.
With Larsen located in northeast Nebraska and White located in the panhandle, the ALEC department will be able to attract potential ag educators to the program from all over the state.
The legacy of Dr. Bell and the innovation he provided to the program will continue in the department through the preparation of future ag educators and the Lloyd Bell Scholarship for Teaching Excellence in Nebraska Agricultural Education