PULLMAN, Wash. — From teaching agricultural education in high schools to serving as an FFA advisor, an elementary school principal, and a current ag education teacher at Washington State University, J.D. Baser has dedicated his career to helping students.
In recognition of his efforts, Baser, a teaching associate professor at WSU, will receive an Honorary American FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention and Expo in October. The degree is awarded to people who have provided exceptional service to agriculture, agricultural education, or FFA, or to teachers who have created high-quality ag education programs that inspire and motivate students to strive for success.
“FFA is an excellent avenue for students to learn a wide variety of skills,” said Baser, who graduated from WSU in 1994 before returning to teach in 2011. “It helps students make a connection between what they’re learning in school and what they can do outside of school. That ranges from learning about research in agriculture to improving public speaking skills to working as part of a team.”
Baser, who grew up on a Yakima Valley dairy farm in the town of Mabton, Washington, earned an American FFA Degree shorty after graduating from Prosser High School. Receiving the honorary version reflects the entirety of his FFA experiences, from being a student to being a high school advisor to now working at the state level and helping train agricultural teachers and coordinate competitions, he said.
“For me, this is a capstone of my involvement with FFA,” Baser said. “I’ve been training agriculture teachers, who often become FFA advisors, for 15 years now. It’s nice to have an honor that says, ‘thank you for your efforts to help kids.’”
After graduating from WSU, Baser taught ag education at Mount Baker High School for five years and Pomeroy High School for 10 years. While teaching, he earned his principal’s certification from WSU’s College of Education. He then spent two years as an elementary school principal in Lewiston, Idaho, before seeing that WSU needed an ag education professor and returning to his alma mater.
Corrina Lenssen was a WSU student who took Baser’s classes and is now an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at his former school in Mount Baker.
“He does a great job of giving students the basics they need to succeed, and embodying the model of ‘learning by doing,’” said Lenssen, a fifth-generation WSU alum. “He wants you to be hands-on and well-rounded as an instructor. He’s not just expecting you to put down a weld, for example, but that you can teach someone how to weld.”
She said Baser is especially good at tailoring instruction and coursework to individual students, something she tries to do now as a high school teacher.
“Everyone has to take his course on teaching in the metal shop, even if they don’t want to teach shop,” Lenssen said of WSU ag education students. “He is great at giving extra support to those who may not have any experience with certain skills, while pushing advanced students to challenge themselves with more difficult tasks. Everyone learns something in J.D.’s classes.”
Such testimonials are what means the most to Baser, who wants to help as many students as possible.
“I love interacting with students who are interested in agriculture,” Baser said. “We all have a connection; we’ve all worn the blue jacket. Here at WSU, if I help 10 students who go on to be high school teachers, that’s dozens of young people I’m indirectly helping every year. I want to give back to ag education and FFA, and training teachers who can impact kids for generations is very rewarding.”
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Learn more about the WSU Agricultural Education program and how to enroll.