22 Mar DSU’s Steffan wins 2019 Best College Professor in Dickinson Press contest
Dr. Joshua Steffan, assistant professor of agriculture and biology, has been named Best College Professor – Dickinson State University (DSU) in The Dickinson Press’ Best of the Western Edge community choice contest.
Steffan grew up on a farm and ranch just outside South Heart, North Dakota. He attended DSU and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health. Continuing his education, he studied at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, and obtained his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2009. Afterward, Steffan spent three years at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus as a postdoctoral fellow researching urologic cancers.
Steffan returned to his home state in 2013 when he accepted an offer to become an assistant professor of microbiology and soil biology. This was a unique opportunity, as he would serve two departments on campus: Natural Sciences and Agriculture & Technical Studies. Currently, Steffan teaches courses in microbiology, immunology, agronomy, and soil science, amongst others. He has two active research grants and served as faculty advisor to the Science Club for the last six years, organizing three study tours to Utah, New Mexico, and the Ozarks. He is the faculty advisor for the Range Club, assisting students as they prepare to compete at the Society for Range Management annual meeting. Although he is involved in numerous departments and activities across campus, Steffan did not choose to stop there. He has served as the undergraduate research mentor for over 20 senior student research projects and has co-authored six publications and two book chapters since he returned to North Dakota.
Steffan’s contributions to his alma mater have not gone unnoticed. He was awarded the 2018 DSU Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program Alumni Bully Pulpit Award and the 2016 Dickinson State University Faculty/Student Collaborative Research/Collaborative Scholarship Award. His recognition as 2019 Best College Professor is another well-deserved accolade. Dickinson State congratulates this incredible educator on this recognition.