AGRELEVANCE

2021 Grand President’s Award Winners

FOUR OUTSTANDING BROTHERS WERE SELECTED TO RECEIVE THE 2021 ALPHA GAMMA RHO GRAND PRESIDENT’S AWARD.

Administered and nominated by a selection committee, the Grand President’s Award is given to AGR alumni, age 40 or younger, who have achieved success in their professional careers and made signifi cant contributions to agriculture and Alpha Gamma Rho. The award demonstrates an honorable acknowledgement of the recipient’s exceptional brotherhood, leadership, professionalism and knowledge of his industry. Robert Elliott, Tim Hammerich, Justin Sharpless and Josh Wackler were recognized for their achievements during the two 2021 Leadership Seminars held virtually in February. Across Alpha Gamma Rho social media channels, they refl ected on the opportunities AGR a orded them and the lessons they learned as undergraduates and beyond.

For more information, or to nominate a brother for a future award, visit alphagammarho. org/grandpresidents-award

Robert Elliott

TENNESSEE – KNOXVILLE

Robert Elliott is from Cedar Hill, Tennessee, where he, his wife, Lindsay, and two daughters, Meredith and Bailey, reside on their family’s farm originally established in 1807. Robert’s father, uncle and fi rst cousin still run the tobacco, hay and registered angus cattle operation today full-time, and all are Alpha Kappa Chapter Alumni.

Robert was initiated into the Alpha Kappa Chapter in the fall of 2001 and later served his chapter as Vice Noble Ruler-Recruitment, then as Noble Ruler in 2004. Robert received his Bachelor of

Science in Agriculture Economics in 2005 and Master of Science in Agriculture

Extension and Education in 2008. As an alumnus, Robert has served on the

Alpha Kappa Chapter Alumni Board as

Vice President and continues to sit on the scholarship committee that proudly distributes over $50,000 in scholarships annually. In 2016 Robert was recognized by the University of Tennessee

Institute of Agriculture as the Horizon

Award winner for young alumni. Robert also serves his brothers as co-chairman of the National AGR BBQ competition held in Lebanon, Tennessee. Professionally, Robert works for

Corteva Agriscience as a District Sales

Leader for the Pioneer Seed Brand. Robert is passionate about the agricultural industry and works diligently to ensure a future exists for successful agricultural industry professionals.

Tim Hammerich

CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

Tim Hammerich is the Senior Director for Strategic Communications at Cogent Consulting. He is the creator and host of “Future of Agriculture,” a weekly podcast about agricultural innovation with more than 1,000,000 downloads. Hammerich has successfully created podcasts and built digital media brands for agricultural companies, industry trade groups and research institutions. In 2015, Hammerich launched AgGrad.com to provide career resources for young professionals in the agriculture industry, and o er recruitment services to agribusinesses. Through AgGrad, he launched agriculture’s fi rst “30 Under 30” which highlights early-career talent in the industry through social media, blog posts, videos, podcasts and an annual print publication. Hammerich is a radio personality for the Ag Information Network, where he reports for “California Ag Today” and “Farm of the Future” daily segments. A native of Fulton, California, he is a graduate of the University of California, Davis (Phi Chapter) with a bachelor’s degree in Crop Science and Management. Hammerich is a former National FFA President.

The Grand President’s Award is presented to outstanding Fraternity alumni, age 40 or younger, who have achieved remarkable success in their professional careers and made great contributions to agriculture and Alpha Gamma Rho.

Justin Sharpless

FLORIDA

In 2003, Justin Sharpless was initiated into the Alpha Gamma Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho at the University of Florida (UF). During his time at UF, Sharpless served the Chapter as the Vice Noble Ruler–Alumni Relations, Vice Noble Ruler–Scholarship, Vice Noble Ruler–Recruitment and as the Alpha Gamma Chapter Parent’s Night Committee Chair. In 2007, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and communication, followed by graduating with a Master of Agribusiness in 2008.

After graduating, Brother Sharpless worked as a middle and high school agriculture teacher, before returning to school at the University of Missouri and working as a graduate teaching assistant. In 2014, he earned a master’s degree in agricultural education and leadership. He’s continuing his education, working towards a Ph.D in Agricultural Education and Communication while working as the Department Chair and an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Studies at Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida.

Sharpless continues to foster lifelong personal and professional development through serving the Alpha Gamma Chapter’s Educational Foundation as a Board Member and Secretary, and a National Fraternity volunteer.

Josh Wackler

OREGON STATE

Josh Wackler was initiated into the Alpha Beta Chapter at Oregon State University in 2001 where he went on to serve as Vice Noble Ruler–Activities, Vice Noble Ruler–Recruitment and Noble Ruler. He also served on the AGR National Board of Directors in 2004 as an Undergraduate Director, and was highly involved on campus.

Upon graduation Wackler spent eight years on the AGR Home Office staff as a Chapter Consultant and as the Chief Recruitment Officer. He was also pivotal in overseeing the colonizations at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Sam Houston State University, as well as the chartering of three colonies to full chapter status at Louisiana Tech, Southern Arkansas and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Wackler is currently the Livestock Production Specialist at Zoetis. In this position, he is responsible for consulting with veterinarians, nutritionists, cattle producers and feed companies on nutrition and production practices for a 12-state territory in the Southeast.

An avid runner and three-time qualifier for the Boston Marathon, Wackler is a published author of the book, “In My Shoes: An Unlikely Runner’s Guide to Running…and Life.”

Corporate Partners

AGR is committed to offering opportunities to connect for members and corporations in the dynamic global agriculture and food industries. Thank you to our Corporate Partners for your support of our Purpose!

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Alpha Gamma Rho: Social/ Professional Ag, Food, Fiber, & Life Sci. Fraternity

Research Provides Insight Into the Positive Impact Fraternities Have for First-Year Students

AMIDST A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, COLLEGE

students and campuses were unsure of what the outcomes of the year would bring, including what distanced learning would look like and how a virtual setting would impact students overall. Fraternities and sororities have also been experiencing mounting pressure questioning the benefi t of Greek-letter organizations. However, a higher education researcher, published the largest study of its kind in March 2020, fi nding benefi ts for fraternity and sorority members, including greater gains in learning and more overall satisfaction with their college experiences.

The Indiana University researcher, Dr. Gary R. Pike, found results indicating improved learning gains, acting through higher levels of student engagement as a result of fraternity and sorority membership.

When realizing research on students in fraternities and sororities was limited, Dr. Pike worked to replicate a study he had previously done in 2003, utilizing the National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE) data to determine levels of engagement and learning outcomes over time. The data used in the most recent study was collected from the 2014 and 2017 administrations of the NSSE.

Each year, about 700 institutions participate in the NSSE, resulting in over 200,000 responses from either fi rst-year students or seniors. Providing a, “tremendously robust and representative data-set to operate from,” Dr. Pike remarked during the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence (FFE) summer seminar.

Some specifi c conclusions found from Dr. Pike’s study included:

Despite being less diverse than students in general, fraternity/ sorority members reported higher levels of interaction with people di erent from themselves than did other students.

 Fraternity/sorority membership also indirectly improved learning gains, acting through higher levels of student engagement.

 Despite being less diverse than students in general, fraternity/ sorority members reported higher levels of interaction with people di erent from themselves than did other students.

 Membership in a fraternity or sorority is associated with greater involvement in curricular and co-curricular activities, promotes student learning and development, and promotes satisfaction with college experiences.

 The largest positive e ects were generally found for fi rst-year students, arguing against deferring recruitment until the second semester or second year.

 The fi ndings of this study indicate fraternities and sororities are not antithetical to the values of

American higher education.

During the FFE summer seminar, Dr. Pike remarked that collaborative learning effects were most dramatic for fi rst-year students and there was a much higher participation and interaction with faculty from fi rst-year fraternity members compared to fi rst-year nonaffi liated students.

Although fraternity and sorority life face the harsh reality of criticism, Dr. Pike’s research fi nds membership in a fraternity or sorority is associated with greater involvement that only increases after the fi rst year. There’s even arguments against deferring recruitment until the second semester or second year, as involvement in the Greek-letter organization is associated with greater involvement in curricular and co-curricular activities, promoting student learning and development.

Alpha Gamma Rho is dedicated to its Purpose of Making Better Men, preparing its brothers for life beyond a classroom. The research done by Dr. Gary Pike provides data support the personal testimonials’ brothers share regarding their chapter experiences.