Rate My Professor Justin Gardner

Justin Gardner serves as Associate Professor of Agribusiness in the School of Agriculture at Middle Tennessee State University, where he has been a faculty member since 2007. He holds the position of Agribusiness B.S. Program Coordinator and previously served as Faculty Senate President from 2019 to 2020. Gardner earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in addition to bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Tennessee. Throughout his career at MTSU, he has contributed to various leadership initiatives, including committee service in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences and as an ex-officio board member of the Tennessee Council of Cooperatives. His involvement extends to mentoring undergraduate students in research programs such as SOAR and supporting experiential learning in agribusiness.

Gardner's teaching encompasses a wide array of courses essential to agribusiness education, including agricultural finance, policy, international trade, economics, commodity futures markets, cooperatives, agribusiness management, and value-added agriculture. His research specializations include the economic and environmental impacts of genetically modified crops and strategies to enhance student success and retention in online learning environments. As a member of the editorial board for Natural Sciences Education, he brings expertise in economics, agricultural economics, agribusiness, management, and e-learning. Key publications feature 'The Inverted Agricultural Economics Classroom: A Strategy to Improve Student Learning' (2012), 'Conditional Release of Course Materials: Assessing Best Practices for Increasing Student Success and Retention,' and 'Balancing Online Teaching Activities: Strategies for Optimizing Student and Instructor Satisfaction.' Gardner has presented research findings at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association and leads the Southern SARE project LS24-391 on improving soil health and cropping systems sustainability through cover crops. His work influences agribusiness education and sustainable agriculture practices within Tennessee and beyond.