Preparing. Finding. Implementing solutions.
North Carolina Agricultural and
Technical State University
School of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences Newsletter
www.ag.ncat.edu
June 2015 • Vol. XIV, No. 3
Gray receives Outstanding Teacher Award
Dr. Benjamin Gray, a rural sociologist
in the Department of Agribusiness,
Applied Economics and Agriscience
Education, is the recipient of the SAES’s
Outstanding Teacher Award for the aca¬
demic year 2014-15.
A well-rounded academician whose
substantial research and outreach efforts
focus on rural poverty, especially in the
Black Belt region of the Southeast, Gray
nevertheless has always valued his role
as teacher first and foremost.
“One of my goals is for students to
gain a sincere appreciation for the sub¬
ject, so, for instance, students may say
they were not aware of the distinct dif¬
ferences that exist among rural residents
when compared to urban residents.
Bringing this type of awareness to stu¬
dents is very rewarding,” he said.
Students and colleagues alike rec¬
ognize and appreciate Gray’s dedication
to the classroom, as evidenced by stu¬
dents consistently ranking his instruc¬
tion in the “excellent” range, and his
consistently superior annual evaluations.
A colleague in his department,
Dr. Donald McDowell, says of Gray:
“He pushes his students very hard, but
he pushes himself even harder. In the
process, he develops excellent relation¬
ships with his students. Elis courses
are regarded as being among the most
challenging courses they take, and at the
same time, Benny is regarded as one of
our most caring, helpful and dedicated
professors.”
In his writings and presentations,
Gray often stresses that all sectors of
society should pay more attention to the
Black Belt, an agricultural region across
the Southeast plagued by persistent pov¬
erty and containing a high proportion
of African Americans. Among his many
civic activities, Gray chairs the Southern
Rural Development Center Technical
Operational Advisory Committee. He
has designed, conducted and analyzed
numerous surveys through the SAES’s
Applied Social Research Laboratory,
and has published dozens of refereed
publications in the form of journal
articles, technical reports, or conference
proceedings and other publications,
fie has led or participated in research,
capacity building and teaching projects
that brought more than $1.6 million to
the University. Gray, whose Ph.D. is
from N.C. State, joined the faculty as
assistant professor in 2000. His climb
up the academic ladder began at A&T
in 1982. He has both bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in agribusiness and eco¬
nomics from A&T.
Nutrition is focus of new program
The SAES continues to focus its resources on the Local Food
and Health Initiative as evidenced by its newest academic
major in Nutrition, Health and Wellness (NHW), which will
be available to students seeking a bachelor's in Food and
Nutritional Sciences starting fall 2015.
The new curriculum is responsive to the increasing
emphasis on nutrition education in health care, as demon¬
strated by the latest forecast from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, which predicts a robust 21 percent increase in
jobs for nutritionists and dietitians through 2022. Experts
attribute the higher-than-average demand for nutrition pro¬
fessionals to America's obesity epidemic, its rapidly aging
population, and the Affordable Care Act, which has given
millions of previously uninsured Americans access to health
care for the first time.
The NHW concentration will provide students with a
foundational science background in chemistry, anatomy,
physiology, and microbiology, while incorporating courses in
nutrition, food science, wellness, disease prevention, weight
Dr. Antoine J. Alston [left), the SAES's associate dean for
Academic Studies, adds his endorsement to the Outstanding
Teacher Award presented to Dr. Benjamin Gray.
management, and metabolism.
Supplementing their classroom training are opportunities
for NHW majors to gain hands on experiences in health care
settings, child care centers, schools, research laboratories,
and the food industry. The new major also meshes with two
of the SAES's major initiatives, the Strong Families Build
Strong Health Initiative as well as the SAES's Local Food and
Health Initiative.
Nutrition professionals work in many settings, including
hospitals, nursing homes, cafeterias and clinics. Some also
pursue private practice. The median annual salary for the
profession is currently 555,240.
"We are delighted to offer this new option to our students,
and anticipate that employers will readily recruit them
upon graduation," said Dr. Valerie Giddings, chair of the
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
For more information or to enroll, contact Dr. Giddings at
336-334-7850 or vlgiddin@ncat.edu.
