A recent article in The Commercial about Tracy Dunbar wasn’t about her winning anything in particular — other than a lot of admiration.
Dunbar is one of those people who started small in an organization and continued to advance and shine and now runs the place.
Dunbar is a professor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She started there as an undergraduate in the Department of Agriculture, and for the past five years, she’s been the chair of the department. That’s good on at least two fronts: one is that she has put herself in a position to excel, and two is that she’s recognized for her excellence. The headline on the story called her a “mainstay” of the department. That sounds about right.
She got her bachelor’s degree here, then her master’s from Penn State and, finally, her doctoral degree from Michigan State. In one way or another, she’s worked for the UAPB Agriculture Department for almost 30 years.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Dr. Dunbar is a thoughtful adviser and mentor,” said Obadiah Njue, interim dean and director of the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences. “She has continually exemplified professionalism through student teaching and advisement and young faculty mentorship.”
That’s quite a plateful, considering that, as with any solid professor, she has also penned numerous journal articles and abstracts on several agricultural subjects. Oh, and she’s helped bring in $1.5 million in grants, not to mention additional funding to help students advance in the field.
In her position, she’s responsible for academic programs, curriculum development and the supervision of staff and faculty for her department. She also works to recruit students to the program. And in her own research, she focuses on the socioeconomic impact of Ag programs on small farmers and those who have limited resources.
The school of agriculture at UAPB is the only place in the state where students can get a master’s and doctoral degree. Advanced degrees are only available at universities because of the quality of the staff within those departments and the expertise that staff is able to impart to students. Ergo, it’s good for the university and good for Pine Bluff and southeast Arkansas when people like Dunbar are valued and allowed to add their own value to our important institutions. She — and they — make us all better.
And about that winning thing? She’s been there, done that, too, picking up a service award for 20 years of teaching and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.