AMES, Iowa -- Ricardo Salvador, associate professor of agronomy at Iowa State University, has been named interim faculty director of the ISU Honors Program, effective July 1. Vice president for academic affairs and provost Benjamin Allen announced the appointment today.
"Dr. Salvador brings a broad range of experiences, including his work in the Honors Program, to this leadership position," Allen said. "I believe he will play a very important role in reshaping the Honors Program in response to the recommendations of the President's Task Force on Honors-High Ability Students."
That group's report has been completed and recently was forwarded to President Gregory Geoffroy.
The Honors Program, for students of high ability in any academic major, provides intellectual opportunities that may include an individualized program of study, access to honors seminars and graduate-level courses, and involvement in research projects.
Salvador joined the ISU faculty in 1988 as an adjunct assistant professor and computer education specialist. He was named an assistant professor of agronomy in 1989, and associate professor in 1995. He is director of graduate education for the interdepartmental graduate program in sustainable agriculture.
Salvador has taught three honors seminars, small-group seminars that address topics of current interest. They include:
- Bioethics and animal welfare (with Barb Pleasants, ecology, evolution and organismal biology)
- Are humans safe for planet Earth? (with Jim Colbert, ecology, evolution and organismal biology)
- What is life?, a look at explanations and meanings of life, historically and personally
Salvador has a B.S. in general agriculture (1979) from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces; and M.S. (1984) and Ph.D. (1988) degrees in crop production and physiology from Iowa State.
He succeeds Elizabeth Beck, who is retiring from the university this month. Salvador will work closely with Ricki Shine, associate director of the Honors Program, who has an extensive national background in honors programs.