MSU’s Harkess selected for horticulture national council of fellows
Contact: Erin Buckley
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State professor is being recognized by a national organization for his outstanding contributions to the field of horticulture.
Richard Harkess, professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is a selection for fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science, an organization established in 1903 and committed to advancing horticultural research and education.
“It’s very gratifying to receive recognition, especially since my focus has been more on academics and working with students,” Harkess said. “I’ve centered my career around teaching and guiding students, so to be recognized for that is a big deal for me.”
A Minnesota native, Harkess has been an integral part of MSU’s horticulture program for almost three decades. At the land-grant institution, he has been recognized for his teaching, advising and service with several honors, including the MSU John Grisham Master Teacher recognition and MSU Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Student Advising Award. An ASHS member since 1987, Harkess has served on many of its collegiate activities and education committees and as a consulting editor of teaching methods papers in the journal HortTechnology. Additionally, he has served as national horticulture honor society Pi Alpha Xi’s vice president and chaired its Constitution and Bylaws Committee.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Harkess for being recognized as a fellow in the American Society for Horticultural Science. The award represents a career of sustained contribution and provides credence to the impact he has had on the lives of countless students, as well as contributions to his professional society,” said Darrin Dodds, associate director of MSU’s Mississippi Forestry and Agricultural Experiment Station. “I can think of no one more qualified for this designation.”
For more on the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit www.pss.msstate.edu.
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