The NALP Foundation named Jason Walker, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator for landscape architecture at Mississippi State University, this year’s Outstanding Educator of the Year.
Walker earned his undergraduate degree at Mississippi State and attended Virginia Tech for graduate school. He has been teaching at Mississippi State since 2003.
As the co-leader of Mississippi State University’s National Collegiate Landscape Competition team and undergraduate coordinator, he is dedicated to his students’ success, from helping students navigate their coursework to providing thoughtful career guidance.
He is also an avid recruiter for the department, educating parents about the career opportunities available to landscape professionals and forming connections with industry leaders who inspire students with insights about the many different career paths available in landscaping and horticulture.
Walker was recognized at this year’s NCLC for his impact on his students’ lives.
When were you first attracted to horticulture?
I realized when I was a senior in high school that I knew I wanted to do something related to plants and the environment, and that’s what led me ultimately to get a landscape architecture degree at Mississippi State.
How did you end up an educator yourself?
I had an uncle who was in education, and I think that probably had an influence on me wanting to go down that path. I knew my junior year in my undergraduate degree that I thought teaching would be something that I wanted to get into ultimately. So I tried to position myself to be able to do that and got very fortunate to have the opportunity to come back to Mississippi State.
Which course do you enjoy teaching the most?
I’ve taught a lot of courses over the years. I would say probably the course that I enjoy the most right now is an introduction to design course for freshmen. I also enjoy irrigation and lighting, and I very much enjoy teaching construction documentation.
Why did you decide to also serve as the undergraduate coordinator?
To really help with recruiting and to make sure that we were doing a good job of advising our students in the program. It’s really an opportunity to get to know all the students, which I find that I enjoy very much, to try to help put them in the best position for their careers. I enjoy the coordinator role.
What do you love most about being an educator?
Watching the students grow and develop. From the time they come in as 17- or 18-year-olds and the amazing amount of growth that occurs over a three- or four-year period, it’s very enjoyable and probably the best part of being an educator. The cool part of being able to stick around for a long time is that now so many of our students come back, and they’re recruiting other students, and to know that you had a small role in helping them develop their livelihood and their careers is very rewarding.
What is your proudest moment as an educator?
I think I’ve had a number of them, but I think probably the thing that was most fulfilling was when Mississippi State hosted the previous time, and we had so much camaraderie and so many people that pitched in and helped to do a lot of good things in our department. That was definitely a highlight.
What is the No. 1 lesson you hope students take away from your classes?
That failure is not really an option. To always work hard and do your best. And if you do that, if you keep trying, if you keep working hard, then at some point, you will be rewarded.
What is your biggest challenge as an educator?
Keeping up with the changing technology, keeping up with how students learn and how they want to learn. I think staying abreast of the pedagogical pieces of education is really the fun part, but it’s also the challenging part, especially as technology changes so fast. To try to stay on top, and to be able to communicate effectively in a way that works for them is probably the most challenging part.
What do you think is a significant barrier preventing young people from being interested in the landscape industry?
I think it’s awareness more than anything. I think awareness and maybe misconceptions on what they think their career paths might be. Over my time in this organization and others have made significant strides in overcoming that awareness and perception hurdle, but we still have a lot of work to do.
Why is recruiting new students to your program so important?
They’re the lifeblood of the program. They’re not only the lifeblood, ultimately, of the industry, but that’s what keeps our programs open. It’s what allows us to get funding. It’s what allows us to make sure that we are doing as well as we can do by imparting knowledge, wisdom and encouragement to as many people as possible.
What advice would you give to landscape companies that want to get more involved with their local colleges?
I would highly recommend that they do. I would say reach out to someone at the university, whether that’s someone that they know in the department or at the college level, just to get involved. I would say for us, we probably could do a better job of reaching out and asking people, but we are 100% always looking for people that want to give back, want to come sit in on a jury or give a lecture. There’s ample opportunity. It really is beneficial to the students as well to have industry and company folks involved in programs. I would highly recommend that they reach out to somebody and find a way to make that happen.
What does it mean to be named the Educator of the Year?
It is very rewarding. It’s also unexpected. It makes me feel very proud, maybe a little emotional, that they thought enough of me to nominate me. I’m very happy and humbled to be the recipient of this. There have been a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for who have won this award in the past, and so I don’t take that lightly. I appreciate it very much.
In five years, where do you see the field of landscape architecture education headed?
I think it’s continuing to evolve. I think embracing all the new technology and really trying to hone in and solidify career paths that we can get the message out to attract students to come find their way in the industry I think is really important. I think there are more and more challenges in terms of recruitment across all programs. For us to have a clear message for how we’re going to approach that, I think, is really critical for the industry as a whole.
What advice would you give to other educators trying to get young people interested in the landscaping field?
I think it is reaching out and trying to communicate with as many people as you can. That’s through social media platforms, but really, once you find somebody who has an interest, one-on-one communicating with them to try to help show them and help explain to them all the opportunities that they really do have in this industry is key.
This article was published in the July/August issue of the magazine. To read more stories from The Edge magazine, click here to subscribe to the digital edition.
