Teacher of most of Indiana’s current ag teachers: Retirement tribute to B. Allen Talbert
B. Allen Talbert, professor of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the College of Agriculture, will retire on July 1, 2026, after a 32-year career as a faculty member and coordinator of Purdue’s Agricultural Education Program.
Additionally, Talbert coordinated the Agricultural Education Program area’s student teaching. His research focused on underrepresented populations in agriculture.
“Dr. Talbert has been an invaluable part of the agricultural education program at Purdue,” said S. Selcen Guzey, head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. “Through his care for students and support for colleagues, he has made a lasting impact and will be deeply missed.”
“For more than 30 years, Allen Talbert has served as an award-winning faculty member in both the College of Agriculture and the College of Education,” said Phillip J. VanFossen, the Suzi & Edward Gallagher Dean of Education. “In addition, his service on the College of Education’s Teacher Education Council has been both long and noteworthy. This work is less visible than journal articles or teaching awards, but is nonetheless invaluable to the teacher education mission of the College.”
“It is difficult to state the immense impact Allen has had on Agricultural Education in Indiana and beyond,” said Sarah E. LaRose, associate professor of Agricultural Education. “Since he has taught at Purdue since 1994, he has taught the vast majority of Indiana’s some 371 agriculture teachers and been a constant steady presence of leadership for the profession. He is the lead author of one of the leading textbooks in agricultural teacher preparation, “Foundations of Agricultural Education“, which is widely used across the country.”
Colleagues, past and current students, and national agricultural education leaders attested to the tremendous impact of Talbert’s service to Indiana students and teachers.
“Allen has been the ideal mentor and colleague,” LaRose said. “I arrived at Purdue as a brand-new assistant professor right out of graduate school, and right away Allen asked for my insight and expertise on important programmatic decisions for ag education. He validated and encouraged me to form into my own best self as a faculty member, not simply a replica of his vision for a faculty colleague.”
“His approach was always measured and thoughtful —one that carried a certain gravitas that people listened to,” VanFossen said. “We will miss this quiet leadership.”
“Kind, supportive, attentive to detail, and always willing to lend a hand to help students and teachers, Allen will be greatly missed at Purdue and beyond,” LaRose said.
The College of Agriculture gave a reception in Talbert’s honor on April 29, 2026, attended by colleagues, family, and friends.
Source: B. Allen Talbert