Willow International biology instructor earns North Centers’ nomination for achievement award
Willow International biology instructor, Tom Mester.
Dr. Tom Mester, biology instructor, recalls when the Clovis Center, in the year 2000, offered only three biology classes in the evenings, held in classrooms of a nearby high school. Now, almost 10 years later, the Willow International Community College Center offers a full compliment of science classes, including biology, chemistry, human anatomy, and human physiology. “In some ways the Clovis Center was a field of dreams and the real growth started during the 2000-2001 academic year,” said Mester, who now teaches at the Willow International Center.
The continued growth is due in part to the dedication of Mester himself. That’s why he is the nominee of the North Centers for this year’s Bill F. Stewart Achievement of Excellence Award. The award is given to a State Center Community College District employee who exemplifies the qualities of former SCCCD Chancellor Dr. Bill Stewart: leadership, vision, and dedication.
“I know that my life experiences have prepared me for this career in higher education,” Mester said.
Mester was born in a town of 1,500 in rural Michigan. Throughout his youth, Mester spent summers with his dad, caring for crops of corn, soybeans, and dry beans. The family raised pigs, ducks, geese, and pheasant. They also produced their own cottage cheese, butter, and milk with the help of some accommodating cows. The first-hand experience laid the groundwork for a lifetime of agricultural education and service.
“I was a first generation college student in my family and I know that my life experiences have prepared me for this career in higher education,” Mester said.
Mester’s credentials trace a unified path through higher education. He earned two bachelor of science degrees: one in anthropology and zoology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the other in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. At the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, Mester earned a master’s degree in crop science with a focus on weed science, as well as a minor in pest management. He went on to earn a doctorate in agronomy, the science of soil management and crop production, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
For two years as a Peace Corps volunteer, Mester lived in the Philippines, helping institute the country’s first livestock loan program. He organized and assisted more than 30 farmers, obtaining livestock production loans and supervising the release of loan funds.
He next traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa, again with the Peace Corps. Placed in charge of an Agricultural Extension Training Center, Mester fulfilled dual roles as an instructor and vice principal. He prepared training materials and instructed new Peace Corp volunteers. He instructed students in farm management, surveying, and farm mechanization. And, in addition to all this, he taught English. “What I have learned through all these experiences is to be flexible and be prepared to add a class if necessary,” Mester said.
In his role for SCCCD, Mester is the first faculty member from the North Centers to serve as president of the Reedley College Academic Senate. He was also the president of the North Centers Faculty Association and has served on various committees, including budget and strategic planning. The commitment of Mester to the District and its continued educational growth is sure to produce benefits well into the future.
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