Dr. Jay Solomonson

Assistant Professor

Agriculture

Office

Clarence R Ropp Agriculture Bldng - RAB 140

Office Hours

Monday thru Thursday 9-10 a.m.

jksolom@ilstu.eduemail

About
Education
Awards & Honors
Research

Biography

Dr. Solomonson grew up on a 1000-acre family farm in rural, Coal Valley, Illinois. After high school, he attended Western Illinois University where he received his B.S. degree in Agriculture- Teacher Certification. He began his career at Orion High School where he taught agricultural education classes and was the FFA advisor for 17 years. During that time he earned his M.S. degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University. In 2019, he accepted a position as the District 1 Program Advisor for the Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE)- a project of the Illinois State Board of Education. He was in that position for a year prior to joining the faculty at Illinois State University. Dr. Solomonson teaches courses in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Leadership & Communications, and Agricultural Mechanization.

Research Interests & Areas

- Agriculture Teacher Recruitment and Retention
- Experiential Learning and Supervised Agricultural Experiences
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

PhD Agricultural Education

Iowa State University

Ames, IA

MS Agricultural Education

University of Illinois

Champaign-Urbana, IL

BS Agriculture

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL

Honorary American FFA Degree

National FFA Organization

2019

NAAE Outstanding Agriculture Teacher- State Winner

Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers

2019

Illinois Agriscience Teacher of the Year

Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers

2016

Quad Cities Master Teacher Award

Quad Cities Dispatch/Rock Island Argus

2013

Quad Cities Leaders Under 40 Award

Black Hawk College Foundation

2012

Honorary State FFA Degree

Illinois Association FFA

2011

IAVAT Excellence in Teaching Award

Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers

2011

Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders Excellence in Agriculture Award

Illinois Farm Bureau

2009

NAAE Outstanding Young Member- State Winner

Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers

2007

NAAE Teachers Turn the Key Award Recipient

National Association of Agricultural Educators

2004

Journal Article

Solomonson, J. K., Thieman, E. B., Korte, D. A., & Retallick, M. S. (2019). Why do they leave and where do they go? A qualitative study of Illinois school-based agriculture teachers who left the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(4), 115-131. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.04115

Solomonson, J. K. & Retallick, M. S. (2018). Over the edge: Factors nudging mid-career, school-based agriculture teachers out of the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2018.04001

Solomonson, J. K., Korte, D. A., Thieman, E. B., Retallick, M. S., & Keating, K. H. (2018). Factors contributing to Illinois school-based agriculture teachers’ final decision to leave the classroom. Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(2), 321-342 https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2018.02321

Magazine/Trade Publication

Solomonson, J. K., & Taber, T. (2020). Integrating drone technology into the agricultural mechanics curriculum. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 92(6), 20-23.

Solomonson, J. K. (2016). Crazy about co-op: Best practices to create a successful work-based, cooperative education program at your school. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 89(3), 11-12, 19.

Solomonson, J. K. (2015). Is agricultural mechanics still relevant in today’s high schools? The Agricultural Education Magazine, 87(4), 9-10.

Solomonson, J. K. (2015). The SAE struggle: Tips to get all of your students to have a quality program. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 87(4), 23-24, 27.