UW-River Falls College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Dean Dale Gallenberg, left, recently presented Professor Eric Sanden, right, with the 2015 Outstanding Faculty Award.

Sanden Named Outstanding Faculty Member

May 8, 2015 – Eric Sanden, professor of Conservation and Environmental Planning at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, received the 2015 Outstanding Faculty Award at the 49th Annual College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) Scholarship and Awards Banquet April 23. 

Nominations for the award are solicited from faculty in CAFES and reviewed by the CAFES Promotions and Awards Committee who forwards their recommendation to the Dean. This is the highest award bestowed upon a faculty member in the College and is considered the most meaningful because it is truly an award by one's peers. The awardee is also honored nationally with the Teaching Award of Merit from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA).

In their letter of nomination, two of Sanden's colleagues highlighted his effectiveness. 

"He is flexible, committed to UWRF and our students, and has a positive attitude as he navigates current needs and opportunities and works to maximize impact with the resources at hand," a colleague said. "Eric is solution oriented and doesn't waste his time focusing on complaining about what he cannot change."  

Another colleague, in his support letter for Sanden's nomination stated, "...Eric is extremely positive with students, extremely patient, fair, honest and especially generous with his time and mentoring."

Sanden, of River Falls, was humble in accepting his award. 

"The true value of this award is in being recognized among such a talented and dedicated group of colleagues," Sanden said. "No one person excels above another to the extent of being singled out for an award. Our work here is collaborative and a team effort – always focused on providing the best experience for our students."

Sanden holds a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University in Range Science. He came to UW-River Falls in 1992 to bring Geographic Information System expertise. Over the years he has moved into teaching a variety of environmental science and conservation classes. When Wisconsin began requiring counties to hire planning specialists, Sanden saw the benefit for UWRF students and built expertise in land use planning to take advantage of the opportunity to help meet that need. He has an extensive community service record with townships and villages on planning issues and non-profit groups on ecological and conservation efforts that brought recognition and credibility to UW-River Falls in these areas. Sanden has recently branched out into ecological restoration work, a growing area within the discipline.