Jerzy Nowak honored with emeritus status
Jerzy Nowak, professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the “professor emeritus” title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The title of emeritus is conferred on retired full professors and associate professors, administrative officers, extra-collegiate faculty with continued appointment, and senior extension agents who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2000, Nowak served as department head of horticulture, providing strong leadership, clear vision, and enthusiasm that led to increased scholarship within the department. He assisted in the development of high-value horticulture as a mission for the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Va.
Nowak also advised numerous students on master’s theses and doctoral dissertations, and he helped them to establish successful academic and industrial careers.
From 2008 to 2011, Nowak served as founding director of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention and became a member of the faculty in the Department of Sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. In this new role, he facilitated transdisciplinary research, education, service learning, and outreach for the purpose of violence prevention and the promotion of peace.
He received a master’s and doctorate degrees from Agricultural-Technical University in Olsztyn, Poland.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
