Excellence in Instruction - Nancy Bockstael

Over her twenty years at the University of Maryland, Nancy Bockstael has taught an impressive array of both undergraduate and graduate courses. Dr. Bockstael joined the faculty at the University of Maryland in 1980 having earned her B.A, M.A., and Ph.D. at Connecticut College, Brown University, and University of Rhode Island, respectively.

While her recent teaching focus has been on key graduate courses in econometrics and welfare economics, over the years she has taught Introduction to Agricultural and Resource Economics, Technical Writing, Research Methodology, Introduction to Econometrics, and others. She routinely has received uniformly high ratings for teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels throughout her career. Typical handwritten comments on student evaluations have include praise like the following: "very conscientious","professor was the highlight of the course", "very clear and concise."

One of the marks of Dr. Bockstael's teaching is that she leads her students by example to become scholars. Providing a complete learning experience for students requires first, being a scholar and appreciating scholarship, and second, an intense desire to help others become scholars. Her own scholarship has been recognized by the American Agricultural Econometrics Association (AAEA) outstanding dissertation award, and more recently, she was selected to give the AAEA's annual Frederick G. Waugh Lecture -- an honor given to only nine individuals to date. She was recently elected president of the Association of Environmental and Resources Economists.

One of the greatest dimensions of teaching by a true scholar is graduate student mentoring. By combining cutting-edge research insights with careful attention to teaching, Nancy Bockstael has produces a unique generation of Ph.D. students that fills an important modern niche. Her students hold first class appointments at major universities across the nation. In 1987 she received the award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Teaching Award of Merit given by the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.

Rarely are the talents for high quality research and outstanding teaching both present and developed in the same individual. Nancy Bockstael has indeed mastered the art and ultimate goal of teaching -- transferring scholarship to her students both inside and outside the classroom.

For more information, contact Gail Yeiser

Last updated: 03/12/2009