Three faculty members retired at the end of the 2014-15 academic year, leaving some mighty big shoes to fill in their respective programs.
Dr. Wesley Greene retired at the end of May after a 29-year teaching career at Ohio State ATI. Greene has taught courses in dairy cattle milking and reproductive management, dairy cattle health, dairy cattle nutrition, animal anatomy and physiology, introduction to animal agriculture, and dairy cattle feeding management. He also has taught a veterinary science course in the veterinary assistant program at Cuyahoga Community College. Greene is the recipient of this year’s Ohio State ATI Distinguished Teaching Award, an honor he has received twice before, in 1990 and 1997. He has also received the Ohio State ATI Outstanding Advising Award in 2005 and 2011. Last year, he received the Teaching Award of Merit from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. Greene served as chair of the Agricultural and Engineering Technologies Division from 2004 to 2012. He has served in many other capacities at Ohio State ATI, including chair of the Academic Affairs Committe, the Teaching Committee, and the Outstanding Service Award Committee.
Dr. Robert McMahon retired June 30 after leading the greenhouse production and management program since 1987. As coordinator of the greenhouse program, McMahon’s duties included teaching floriculture production courses, managing Ohio State ATI’s five production greenhouses and conservatory, serving as academic advisor to approximately 40 students each year, and conducting research on floriculture pest control. McMahon was the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award from the Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences in 1997 and has twice received Ohio State ATI’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
Mr. David Willoughby also retired June 30. He joined the faculty of Ohio State ATI in 1995, after a successful career in the golf industry, including the construction or rebuilds of 11 different golf courses. He served as coordinator of the turfgrass management program and advisor for the Ohio State ATI Student Turf Club and the student chapter of Golf Course Superintendents of America. He lead a student delegation to the international Golf Industry Conference and Show to particiate in the National Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition every year since 1997. His students won the State Turf Bowl championship four of the past eight years. Graduates from the turfgrass management program work at some of the world's top turf facitilies, including Augusta National Golf Club, Walt Disney Golf Club, The Bear's Club and Pine Valley Golf Club.
"We will most definitely miss the leadership and experience of these excellent faculty members," said Ohio State ATI Interim Director James Kinder. "They have played an enormous role in the success of hundreds of our graduates."