At the 95th National FFA Convention the ACEL community had representation at the trade show and had many students recognized on stage.

The Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and its Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership engaged with alumni and many prospective Buckeyes answering their college questions.

During the convention, ACEL shared about the academic programs it offers, while meeting FFA members and advisors from around the United States through social media campaigns using a mini mic.

Students were asked to answer our trivia questions on FFA, Ohio State, and college. Their answers were combined to create Instagram Reels.

During the American Degree Ceremony on Saturday, 25 ACEL students were recipients of the highest honor in the organization.

ACEL was pleased to meet everyone at the annual convention and looks forward to next year.

The Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership is home to more than 300 undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to become communicators, educators and leaders in our communities through academics, research, extension and outreach.

Homecoming court members are chosen based on their leadership qualities, Buckeye spirit, integrity, and achievement. The court selection process begins with a paper application, based on these application scores and students GPA, individual interviews are offered and conducted. The scores from the application and interview are combined to determine sic members for the court.

The Ohio State ACEL Department was pleased to see four students from our department on the CFAES Wooster Campus Court:
Raegan Alsept, junior, agricultural communication and community leadership
Faith Galavich, sophomore, agriscience education
Laura Scholl, sophomore, agriscience education
Hannah Watkins, sophomore, agricultural communication

Alsept and Watkins were announced as the two Royal Buckeyes for the Wooster campus.

After announced at the coronation ceremony, these two spent the weekend on the Columbus campus participating in the parade, fireworks and were even announced at the Shoe prior to the Ohio State versus Rutgers game.

Both students are deserving of their role and have a big year ahead of them.

Alsept said she hopes to serve students and the community while also raising the morale of Wooster’s campus during her role as a Royal Buckeye.

Being nervous about applying for the court is normal, but Watkins says, “get out of your comfort zone and go for it. This opportunity is like no other, so jump at the chance to apply.”

Current ACEL Buckeyes interested in applying for their campuses Homecoming Court in 2023 should look for application announcements at homecoming.osu.edu and in the ACEL Nutshell.

The Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership had several members of our faculty, along with graduate students, attend the annual conference for the North Central Region of the American Association for Agricultural Education. The conference was hosted by the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

At the annual awards banquet, Dr. Amand Bowling, Dr. Annie Specht, and Dr. Mary Rodriguez were presented with awards.

Dr. Amanda Bowling, assistant professor of agriscience education, was presented the 2022 North Central AAAE Region Outstanding Early Career Member award at their annual conference this morning

Dr. Annie Specht, associate professor of agricultural communication, was presented with the 2022 North Central AAAE Region Distinguished Agricultural Communications Educator award.

Dr. Mary Rodriguez, associate professor of community leadership, was presented with the 2022 North Central AAAE Region Distinguished International Agricultural Educator.

Other faculty and graduate students who participated in the conference, including research presentations, poster sessions and served in leadership roles for the organization include:

Research Presentations:
Supporting Student Choice: A Case Study of Autonomy Supportive Instructional Behaviors in SBAE Programs
Hannah C. Parker, The Ohio State University
Amanda M. Bowling, The Ohio State University

Work Life Harmony Experiences of Early Career Agriculture Teachers in Kansas
Brandie Disberger, Kansas State University
Shannon Washburn, The Ohio State University
Gaea Hock, Kansas State University
Jonathan Ulmer, Kansas State University

“I wanted to Be the Teacher I Needed.” Experiences of Lesbian and Gay School-Based Agriscience Teachers
Colby Gregg, The Ohio State University
Amanda Bowling, The Ohio State University

A Case Study of Ohio Agricultural Organizations Engagement with D&I
Kamron S. Rinehart, Texas Tech University
Jera Niewoehner-Green, The Ohio State University
Shannon Washburn, The Ohio State University

Edutainment on the Farm: A content Analysis of Tweets about Clarkson’s Farm
Nellie Hill, Kansas State University
Kellie Claflin, The Ohio State University
Annie Spect, The Ohio State University
Gaea Hock, Kansas State University

Social Media Usage in The Ohio State University ANR Extension Communication
Kiley Holbrook, The Ohio State University
Erica Summerfield, The Ohio State University
Annie Specht, The Ohio State University

A content Analysis of SBAE Preservice Teacher Disposition Assessments
Brooke Thiel, North Dakota State University
Kellie Claflin, The Ohio State University

Poster Presentations:
Airtable: A Resource for Research
Kaitlyn Evans, The Ohio State University
Kellie Claflin, The Ohio State University

Building Relationships and Technical Skills for Student Teachers
Hannah Parker, The Ohio State University
Kellie Claflin, The Ohio State University

Engaging Students with the Syllabus Through Social Annotation
Kellie Claflin, The Ohio State University
Tim Buttles, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

A Guide for Acclimatizing International Graduate Students for American Educational and Cultural Experiences
Benard Walumbe, The Ohio State University
Shannon Washburn, The Ohio State University
Mary Rodriguez, The Ohio State University

Roundtable Talks:
How Can Course Grading Be More Inclusive?
Tim Buttles, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Co-presenter: Kellie Claflin, The Ohio State University

Committee Membership:
Member Services Committee, Kellie Claflin
Professional Development Committee, Amanda Bowling