Baumann named CAFES Outstanding Faculty Member

May 2, 2019 - Larry Baumman, professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, received the 2019 Outstanding Faculty Award at the 53rd Annual Scholarship and Awards Banquet hosted by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) on April 18. The award is the highest award bestowed upon a faculty member in the college and is made more meaningful because the recipients are nominated and selected by their peers in the college.
 
As the 2019 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award, Baumann is also honored nationally with the Teaching Award of Merit from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) in recognition of meritorious efforts in college teaching.
 
In their letter of nomination, Baumann’s departmental colleagues highlighted his devotion to the UW-River Falls laboratory farms, to helping students learn, and to his colleagues:
 
“There have been times in the recent transition between dairy herd managers and farm directors…all the extra work was covered by Dr. Baumann without any complaint. He was there for the 3:30 am milking and calf feeding chores all the way to the finish of the evening milking at 8 pm.”
 
“Dr. Baumann is a true teacher in the sense that class hours do not dictate when he takes the opportunity to help our students learn …. one of the student workers at the Dairy Learning Center explained that Dr. Baumann almost always invites students to observe and assist in veterinary and management procedures. She described …. how he patiently teaches students with no prior dairy cattle experience to safely handle and work near our animals. It is challenging to fully describe the impact Dr. Baumann has on our culture and the overall quality of our Dairy Learning Center. His commitment is unparalleled.”
 
“He has helped many colleagues with their classes, whether it is guest lecturing or going out to the farms on a Sunday afternoon to collect milk samples or someone else’s class. He’s always available to help order supplies for classes and to use his veterinary skills to biopsy animals for someone else’s research project. He is quiet but always ready to lend a hand or listen to someone, whether it is a student or fellow faculty member.”
 
Upon receiving the award from CAFES Dean Dale Gallenberg, Baumann said he never thought of his day-to-day activities as outstanding.
 
“I am fortunate to be in this college and on this campus with wonderful colleagues and students who bring out the best in me,” Baumann said.
 
Baumann is a 1974 graduate of UW-River Falls. He went on to earn his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University and his Ph.D. in theriogenology from the University of Minnesota. He came back to UW-River Falls in 1990, accepting a split appointment position, dividing his time between teaching at UW-River Falls and serving as a State Animal Health Specialist within Cooperative Extension. Baumann was honored with the Second Mile Award by the Wisconsin Association of County Agricultural Agents in 2010 and in 2006 he was named the Wisconsin Veterinarian of the Year by the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA).
 
For more information, email laura.walsh@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-3535.