Dixie Watts Dalton receives national teaching award
Dixie Watts Dalton ’86, ’89, professor of practice in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, has been recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Award for faculty with 10 or more years of graduate teaching experience from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
The national association serves professionals in agricultural and related fields, including academia, government, industry, and nonprofits, who engage in teaching, research, and outreach on topics such as agriculture economics, international development, and agribusiness.
Dalton, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University, stands out as an exceptional educator. Her dedication has earned her multiple accolades, including Virginia Tech awards for outstanding teaching and advising in 2003. Additionally, she was honored with the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Distinguished Teaching Award for her decade-long commitment to undergraduate teaching in 2007.
“It was an honor to be nominated for this national recognition,” Dalton said. “I had such outstanding teachers and inspiring mentors when I was a student here, and it was my dream to become a faculty member in the department that molded and shaped me into the person I am.”
Beyond academia, Dalton has made significant contributions to the industry, receiving recognition from organizations such as Virginia Farm Bureau and the Virginia Agribusiness Council. Her leadership in cooperative youth education has not gone unnoticed, with the Association of Cooperative Educators honoring her for offering a national youth leadership conference on the Virginia Tech campus for consecutive years.
“Dr. Dalton has a record of servant leadership in higher education and endless contributions to the agricultural and agribusiness communities in the commonwealth,” said Matthew Holt, department head and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. “She always works quietly but effectively, and always in the spirit of Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).”
After dedicating the first 17 years of her career to Virginia Tech, Dalton returned to her home county of Lunenburg, Virginia, as faculty at Southside Virginia Community College, where she eventually became dean of humanities, social sciences, and business. There, she developed and led a new agribusiness program, creating opportunities for students to transition into agriculture programs at four-year institutions or directly enter the workforce. She also taught a marketing course that she had previously developed for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences. When the program decided to add an agribusiness concentration to its degree offerings, Dalton was hired as a full-time remote faculty member to lead the effort.
Dalton started that role in the fall of 2021 and since then has created two additional online master’s degree courses and an online certificate in agribusiness fundamentals.
At the core of Dalton's teaching philosophy lies care and concern for her students. She enjoys understanding their goals and aspirations and tailoring assignments and projects to help achieve them.
Her service for scholarship support is another example of how she always has the student in mind. Since 2017, she has been the president of Colonial Agricultural Education, which oversees a portfolio of over $4.8 million, the earnings from which fund over 80 scholarships annually. She is also a member of scholarship committees for the Youth Development Board of the State Fair of Virginia, the Virginia Cooperative Council, and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Organization.
Throughout her career in higher education, Dalton has taught over 3,750 students from first-year students to the graduate level. She has co-authored 15 journal articles and authored or co-authored 20 Extension publications. She has been a presenter at more than 100 local, state, and national meetings as well as in Canada, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Dalton has been a member of more than 75 committees, boards, and councils serving students, institutions, and the agricultural industry.
“She has provided thoughtful and consistent leadership for our department, our college, Virginia Tech, and Virginia,” Holt said. “She inspires, provides advice and guidance, and always goes above and beyond for the sake of the students and their success.”
