Curtis Bensch

OPSU Agronomy Professor Dr. Curtis Bensch has been elected to serve as the Judging Conference Director for the North American College Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) organization. NACTA is a professional society that focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning agriculture and related disciplines at the postsecondary level. Members of NACTA are from two-year and four-year colleges, public and private.

University President, Dr. Julie Dinger commented, “Congratulations to Dr. Bensch on his election as the NACTA Judging Conference Director. This achievement reflects his dedication to the agriculture community and our students.”

In addition to serving as Judging Conference Director, Bensch will also serve on the NACTA Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is the governing body that provides leadership and direction for NACTA and its various programs and activities.

The responsibilities of the Judging Conference Director are to: (1) serve as the official representative of NACTA to the Judging Conference; (2) facilitate communication between NACTA and Judging Conference participants; (3) identify and schedule future host sites for Judging Conferences; and (4) explore future experiential learning opportunities. Bensch will begin his term as Judging Conference Director at the NACTA summer teaching conference in June and will serve a 2-year term.

Dean Tracy Kincannon stated, “I am very excited for Dr. Bensch to showcase OPSU and his leadership as he helps guide the NACTA judging contest for the next two years.”