Eric Luteyn, a doctoral candidate and graduate assistant in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is one of nine winners to receive the University of Kentucky’s 2025 Outstanding Teaching Awards.

These awards identify and recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT).

“I am deeply honored to receive the University of Kentucky’s 2025 Outstanding Teaching Award,” Luteyn said. “Teaching plant science has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my academic journey, and this recognition affirms that the approaches I’ve developed help students engage with the subject in meaningful and lasting ways. I’m truly grateful for this award and inspired to continue fostering inclusive and engaging learning environments.”

Luteyn, a U.S. Army veteran, has brought the same level of discipline, compassion and leadership from his military service to the classroom. After sustaining a brain injury during his time in the Army, Luteyn made the decision to pursue advanced degrees in plant breeding and agronomy. While aspects of doctoral study have presented unique challenges, his persistence and passion for teaching have set him apart.

"Eric is a humble, generous individual who knows people have been kind and patient with him and is thus quite motivated to forward that favor on to others,” said Rebecca McCulley, Ph.D., chair of the UK Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, who nominated Luteyn for the award. “He epitomizes the type of individual this award is meant to recognize.”

Luteyn has served as a teaching assistant in multiple courses and recently taught a course on greenhouses and controlled environments as a solo instructor — a complex course attracting students with varied academic backgrounds. The class is especially popular among students preparing to manage greenhouses in future teaching roles.

“Most of these students do not have a background in plant science,” McCulley said. “Eric balanced teaching students with little knowledge of plants alongside horticulture and plant and soil science students who have had years of plant science related coursework.”

A graduate of UK’s CELT Teaching and Learning Certificate program, Luteyn emphasizes experiential learning and often draws on his Army background in his approach to teaching.

“My journey as an educator first began during my time as a construction engineer in the Army,” Luteyn shares in his teaching portfolio. “[Training] troops in construction tasks… revealed the profound impact that quality instruction can have on mission success.”

Before enrolling at UK, Luteyn worked as a construction supervisor in the Army, leading large-scale infrastructure projects around the world. After leaving the military, he developed a strong interest in agriculture and completed a bachelor’s degree in horticulture; a graduate certificate focused on the nexus of food, energy and water; and a master’s degree in integrated plant and soil sciences.

Now pursuing his Ph.D., Luteyn is equally passionate about teaching and research. His long-term goals include developing sustainable solutions to improve global food security, blending his expertise in plant breeding with a deep commitment to solving complex agricultural challenges.

“Eric…has grown tremendously as an instructor during his time at UK, learning that fostering student engagement requires flexibility, patience and a willingness to meet students where they are in their learning journey,” McCulley said. “Eric will continue to grow as an instructor, and I think the students whom he touches through teaching will be very thankful he chose to dedicate himself to this career.”

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This year’s Outstanding Teaching Awards were given to six faculty and three graduate teaching assistants. Each winner received an award certificate, a commemorative engraved gift and a cash award in recognition of their teaching excellence at a campus ceremony on May 1. Read more here.

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