SUNY Professor Tarvis Earns the NACTA Educator Award

SUNY — Associate Professor of Animal Science Kimberly Tarvis, M.S., has been named a 2025 recipient of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Educator Award. The NACTA Educator Award is presented annually to a select group of individuals whose efforts the professional society believes represent the very best in agricultural higher education.

“I was in complete shock receiving this recognition. For me, this is just what I do,” said Tarvis. “I believe every student deserves the best possible education, and I try to connect with each of them, no matter their background or experience. Growing up, I watched my father put himself through college as an adult student. I also spent time between rural Rhode Island and urban Fall River, Massachusetts, with my grandparents, who watched me while my parents worked and went to school.”

“Those experiences taught me the value of a strong support system and the importance of seeing life from different perspectives,” she continued. “As a student myself at Indiana University, completing my doctorate in Instructional Systems Technology, I can say school is different now than it was 20 years ago.”

“Understanding the material is one thing, but delivering it in a way that resonates with students, that excites them and builds their confidence, that’s the real reward,” Tarvis added. “It takes extra time and energy, but when students feel supported and challenged, that’s when real learning happens. That’s when they realize, ‘Yes, I can do this!’”

Tarvis’s connection with her students is recognized throughout the campus community. For two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024, she was selected by students as the Outstanding Faculty Mentor of the Year through a campus-wide vote. She is also the co-advisor of the College’s largest student organization, the Dairy Cattle Club.

“Kim embodies the heart of our academic mission at SUNY Cobleskill—educating with purpose and compassion,” said Dr. Darcy Medica, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Her attention to the personal, academic, and professional success of her students is evident in the way she challenges them—always in a supportive way—and helps them connect classroom learning to real-world experiences. The NACTA Educator Award is a well-deserved honor, and we are incredibly proud to have her as part of our faculty.”

Tarvis also coaches the College’s highly regarded North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Team, which competes each April. The event tasks teams with analyzing a working farm, gathering information such as financial reports, herd software data, and summary statistics during a two-hour site evaluation, and then presenting recommendations for improving farm operations. Last year, SUNY Cobleskill’s team placed second overall.

Tarvis is the fifth SUNY Cobleskill faculty member to receive the NACTA Educator Award, following Robert M. McGuire (1979), Ralph M. Smalley (1982), Douglas Goodale (1995), and Ben Weikert (2021).

SUNY Cobleskill’s Department of Animal Science offers three bachelor’s (BS/BT) degree options and five associate degree options. The Bachelor of Science degree provides the lab and field coursework necessary to pursue master’s and doctoral programs in animal science, as well as the academic rigor required for admission to veterinary medicine programs. Modern chemistry and biology laboratories provide students with valuable hands-on experiences in the natural sciences, and the College maintains herds of beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, meat goats, and horses. Other livestock housed on the campus farm include swine and poultry.