
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990                   TAG: 9004250067
SECTION: FOUNDERS DAY '90                    PAGE: VT8   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                 LENGTH: Medium

AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE GOES TO BEAL

W.E. "Bill" Beal, associate professor of animal science in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been selected as recipient of a 1990 W.E. Wine Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence.

Beal came to Virginia Tech in 1979 after earning his Ph.D. in physiology from Cornell University. Since arriving at Tech, Beal has excelled as a classroom teacher, academic advisor and researcher.

One of the students who joined in the nomination of Beal for the Wine Award said, "As a teacher and motivator, he is unmatched. He has an intense desire to challenge his students and push them to expand their minds and their lives.

"At the same time, he has the utmost concern and respect for his students and is always willing to give assistance . . . He is a man who demands a great deal, but one who gives even more in return."

Despite his reputation as one of the more demanding professors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Beal has achieved consistently high teaching evaluations from students during his teaching career at Tech.

A student who worked with Beal in the department's advising office said, "His intensity and driving work ethic are seen daily. Yet at the same time, he is very personable and fun to be around. Free time is not a big part of Dr. Beal's busy schedule, however, if a student has a problem or just needs to talk, he will take time out from what he is doing to give them the time they need . . . Dr. Beal combines teaching, advising and family life into a well-rounded lifestyle. He is a wonderful person who gives 110 percent to everything in his life."

Colleagues as well as students respect and admire Beal. One colleague noted that Beal is "a unique talent as a teacher, and his interest, enthusiasm and overall dedication to the resident instruction mission in and out of the classroom has been well demonstrated. Versatility with excellence would best characterize Dr. Beal's program."

Beal's care for and involvement with students continues outside the classroom. He is both the academic career advisor and coordinating counselor for students in the animal sciences deparment. His outstanding work in this area recently earned him the Award for Excellence in Career Advising from the University's academic career advisor network.

In addition to his teaching and advising, Beal is a prolific and highly respected researcher in beef cattle reproductive physiology. He pioneered the adoption of ultrasound equipment, initially designed for human medicine, for use in beef cattle research. He also developed an inexpensive compound that induces or synchronizes estrus in beef cattle.

A native of Ypsilanti, Mich., Beal grew up in a family in which standardbred horse racing was a second vocation. He earned his B.S. with honors in 1974 from Michigan State University, where he worked in both the Dairy Reproduction Lab and at the school's horse farm. He earned his M.S. from the University of Wyoming (1976) and received his Ph.D. in physiology from Cornell University in 1979.

by CNB