UW-River Falls Professor Honored With ASHS Fellow Award

Aug. 15, 2012 – Terry Ferriss, a professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF), was recently elected a Fellow of the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS) for her outstanding contributions to horticulture and the Society. The Fellows Award is the highest honor that ASHS can bestow on a member. She was recognized for this accomplishment at the ASHS Annual Conference in Miami, July 31–Aug. 3. 

Ferriss, of Hastings, Minn., joined the faculty at UWRF in 1979, and was instrumental in establishing the horticulture major.  The program began in 1985 with 35 majors, and grew to more than 110 majors by 2005. Ferriss has held administrative positions at UWRF in her department and college, including serving as the director of the internship program for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) for the past 17 years. 

She has received multiple honors for her work at UWRF. In 1996 Ferris was named a UWRF Distinguished Teacher, the highest honor given to a faculty member at UWRF. Ferriss earned the UWRF Advisor of the Year award in 2003, and the UWRF Compass Award in 2009 for her work with first-year students.  

At UWRF Ferriss initiated the establishment of the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Pi Alpha Xi (PAX), the national honor society for horticulture. She has served as secretary/treasurer, vice president and two terms as president of PAX National and was honored by being named a PAX Fellow in 2000.  

Ferriss has been a member of ASHS for more than 34 years, missing only three annual meetings during that time. With ASHS, Ferriss has served in numerous roles, including leadership roles with the Teaching Methods Working Group, the Scholarship Awards Committee and the Collegiate Activities Committee. She is widely recognized for her advocacy work on behalf of the ASHS Certification Programs. In 1989 ASHS honored her with the Outstanding Undergraduate Horticulture Educator Award.

The first class of ASHS Fellows was elected in 1965. ASHS boasts a membership of nearly 2600 professionals from industry, academia and government, dedicated to promoting and encouraging national and international interest in scientific research and education in horticulture.