Coach of Champions. Teacher of Cowboys.

OSU meat science professor receives national recognition

A little encouragement goes a long way. A text saying “Good luck!” is one of many ways Gretchen Mafi, meat science professor at Oklahoma State University, shares encouragement with students on the meat judging team she coaches.

This compassion for her students and desire to see them succeed is one of the reasons Mafi won the 2020 National Teaching Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Association of Public Land-Grant Universities for Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences award program.

Gretchen Mafi uses carcasses to coach the meat judging team.

Photo by Sarah Drown

“To have someone who worked in the industry, in the facets she did, and is sharing that knowledge with students is a learning experience that makes me so glad I came to Oklahoma State University,” said Lizzi Neal, food science senior.

Mafi received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Texas Tech University. She received her master’s degree from Colorado State University.

Before coming to OSU, Mafi worked for the USDA in Washington, D.C., in meat grading standards. Then, she taught meat science at Angelo State University for four years where she helped develop a meat lab. Since 2006, she has taught in the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences and coached the meat judging team.

“The students, the rich tradition, the history of excellence in meat science and the high-quality facilities were the main things that brought me to OSU,” Mafi said.

Mafi’s mentors and family instilled in her a strong work ethic and value of agriculture, she said. She credits them for teaching her the importance of passion in one’s work.

“To be selected for the APLU award you have to be very elite in a teaching area,” said Clint Rusk, AFS department head.

Rusk, among others, recommended Mafi for the USDA-APLU award because Mafi knows the curriculum well and is a visionary who is full of innovative ideas, he said. She is looked up to and highly respected among the faculty in the department, he added.

“If you saw the list of how many classes she teaches, how many students she advises, plus the coaching, then you would wonder how she gets it all done,” Rusk said. “Yet, she is one of the most organized people I have ever been around.”

Mafi said stimulating, hands-on learning is the best way students learn.

“You have to be really creative to teach meat science,” Mafi said. “I am always dreaming up new ways to help people learn.”

Mafi prepares for classes, films videos for coaching, and assists her students even on weekends and school breaks, said Ranjith Ramanathan, AFS associate professor.

“She is one of the classic examples of ‘Ride for the Brand,’” Ramanathan said. “It does not matter the topic. She can connect with the students.”

Neal said Mafi is loyal to OSU and her students.

Mafi remembered Neal’s interests and strengths even before they began working closely together and recommended her for an internship. Now, Neal is an undergraduate research assistant and has worked with Mafi for a year.

“I can go to any meat science event and tell them I go to OSU,” Neal said. “People say, ‘Oh, wow. You are one of Gretchen Mafi’s students’ because her name is so well-known.

Mafi is one of the most engaging professors because she uses teaching tools like PollEverywhere to ensure students remain focused during class, Neal said.

“I remember the first class I took with her,” Neal said. “She didn’t water down the information. The information was still going to be factual, and it wasn’t going to be easy, but … the experience of the lab made it so you could understand it.”

In the years since she began coaching the meat judging team at OSU, the teams won the International Meat Judging Championship in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Mafi said she has fond memories of traveling across the country for meat judging contests with her students. However, if she cannot attend a contest, she still encourages the team from afar, she added.

“I will never forget when we got to talk to Dr. Mafi after we won the National Western Stockshow judging contest,” Neal said. “When we heard her encouragement, it kind of felt like we had won the contest for her.”

Mafi remembers the first team she coached to win the national championship in 2014. The team was full of dedicated, talented students, and she focused on challenging them in a positive manner, she said. The team helped her develop a mentality she has kept ever since, she said.

“You are giving students on the team an opportunity, and they are learning so many life skills,” Mafi said. Mafi is skilled at getting her students to perform at their full potential, Rusk said. He was not surprised when the meat judging team won the national championship in 2018, he added. Her tenacious attitude makes her a strong competitor, he said.

“I wouldn’t trade her for any other coach in America,” Rusk said. “I think she is the best.”

Mafi is a great asset to the AFS faculty, Rusk said. By serving on numerous committees, she gives back to the department and makes it stronger, he said. She also can be depended on to recruit students, he added.

“Whenever there is a problem around Dr. Mafi, we all rally together to figure it out, and she creates a ‘cando’ attitude,” Neal said.

For example, Mafi took charge of the 2019 OSU Big Three Field Day while the usual coordinator handled health issues, Neal said.

“While it was a really hard time for the AFS community… it was never a question for Dr. Mafi of ‘What happens next?’” Neal said. “She just stepped in to play the role.”

Mafi’s passion for seeing students learn and gain experience drives her to help the community in times of need, Neal said.

“She loves what she does, and that love shows in how passionate she is,” Neal said.

Jeff Mafi, Gretchen Mafi’s husband, said his wife demonstrates her passion for her students by investing hours preparing interactive, hands-on labs.

Gretchen Mafi is outgoing and has a genuine concern for her students’ learning, Jeff Mafi said. She is honest and willing to help anybody, he added. “The students are really drawn to her,” he said.

Neal said Gretchen Mafi is authentic, which helps her create a professional, academic relationship with her students as well as a personal relationship with them.

Gretchen Mafi said she is honored to have the support of the faculty and administration at OSU who nominated her for the USDA-APLU award.

“It is really special to see that my peers value what I am doing,” Gretchen Mafi said.

Gretchen Mafi appreciates the students, mentors, faculty and staff members around her who have been instrumental in her success as an educator, she said.

“The mentorship of fellow faculty members and administrators I have worked with throughout my career helped shape me,” Gretchen Mafi said. “The only way you can be successful is if you have a good team of support and encouragement around you.”

SARAH DROWN RAMONA, CALIFORNIA

A Recognition of Excellence

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities sponsor the USDA National Awards for Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences.

A committee of nationally recognized scholars and teachers review and select six regional, two national and two new teacher awards each year.

Nominations for these awards are generated from multiple departments, including agriculture, veterinary science, human sciences and natural resources.

According to the associations, the selected winners exhibit an exemplary ability to teach students and utilize innovative methods.

The selection committee recognizes teachers of higher education with achievements in philosophy, technique and self-improvement, according to the APLU.

These awards are announced at the APLU’s annual meeting in November.

Information gathered from aplu.org