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Department of Agriculture

Dr. Jay Solomonson

Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education
Agriculture
Office
Clarence R Ropp Agriculture Bldng - RAB 140
Office Hours
Fall: Monday thru Thursday 11 am- 12 pm
Spring: Tuesday and Thursday 10 am- 12 pm
Office Phone
(309) 438-8084office
phone
Email
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 Black Hawk College- East then transferred to 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. He also served as the Director of Career and Technical Education for six of those 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 in 2020. Dr. Solomonson teaches courses in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Leadership & Communications, and Agricultural Mechanization.

Current Courses

491.001Foundations of Agricultural Education

287.014Independent Study

400.004Independent Study

130.001Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.002Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.003Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

231.001Managing & Teaching In Agricultural & Technology Laboratories

231.002Managing & Teaching In Agricultural & Technology Laboratories

291.015Undergraduate Teaching Experiences In Agriculture

499.017Independent Research For The Masters Thesis

287.017Independent Study

400.001Independent Study

400.002Independent Study

190.001Introduction To Agricultural Education

191.001Introduction To Agricultural Education Teacher Licensure

130.001Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.002Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.003Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

390.001Program Planning and Evaluation in Agricultural Education

291.017Undergraduate Teaching Experiences In Agriculture

Teaching Interests & Areas

- Agricultural Education
- Agricultural Leadership and Communications
- 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

Teacher Educator of the Year

Association for Career & Technical Education- Region 3
2022

Teacher Educator of the Year

Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education (IACTE)
2022

Section 3 Honorary FFA Degree

Section 3 FFA Organization
2020

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

Abstract

Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Rank, B. D., & Ugwuanyi, B. (2022, June). What factors influence students’ decisions to pursue agricultural degrees at non-land-grant colleges of agriculture? Poster presented at the 68th Annual North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Conference. Wooster, OH.
Solomonson, J. K., & Wells, T. (2022, May). Making the connection: Integrating the RealCareer electrical wiring kit into agricultural teacher education. Poster presented at the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.
Solomonson, J. K., & Wells, T. (2022, May). Using virtual reality (VR) technology as an alternative approach to traditional ag in the classroom field days. Poster presented at the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.
Still, S. M., Solomonson, J. K., & Uchitijil, B. (2022, May). Examining Illinois agriculture teacher perceptions of compensation and the 3 Circles Grant. Poster presented at the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.
Still, S. M., Solomonson, J. K., & Uchitijil, B. (2022, May). Examining Illinois school administrators’ perceptions of the Teacher 3 Circles Grant program. Poster presented at the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.

Book, Chapter

Solomonson, J. K., & Roberts, R. (2022). Organization and administration of school-based agricultural education systems and FFA. In Thoron A. C., & Barrick R. K. (Eds.), Preparing agriculture and agriscience educators for the classroom, IGI- Global. doi:10.4018/978-6684-3420-8

Conference Proceeding

Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. B. (2022, May). What technical agriculture skills do teachers need to teach courses in the plant systems pathway? Proceedings of the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.
Wells, T., Solomonson, J. K., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. B. (2022, May). What technical agriculture skills do teachers need to teach courses in the animal systems pathway? Proceedings of the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.
Solomonson, J. K., Still, S. M., & Maxwell, L. D. (2021, May). Why do Illinois school-based agricultural education teachers stay in the profession? Proceedings of the 2021 Virtual National AAAE Research Conference.
Smalley, S. W. & Solomonson, J. K. (2017, September). The role of collaboration throughout the agricultural education student teaching experience. Proceedings of the 2017 North Central Region AAAE Research Conference.

Journal Article

Solomonson, J. K., Still, S. M., Maxwell, L. D., & Barrowclough, M. (2022). Exploring relationships between career retention factors and personal and professional characteristics of Illinois agriculture teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(2), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2022.02098
Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B. D., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. (2022). Technical agriculture skills teachers need to teach courses in the plant systems pathway. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(3), 100-116. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2022.03100
Lugar, D., Barrowclough, M., Solomonson, J. K., & Maxwell, L. D. (2021). The effect of an interactive classroom app on student performance and non-educational device usage in a college animal science course. NACTA Journal, 65, 352-359.
Solomonson, J. K., Still, S. M., & Maxwell, L. D. (2021). Factors influencing the decision of Illinois school-based agricultural education teachers to remain in the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 62(3), 121-137. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2021.03121
Solomonson, J. K., Still, S. M., & Maxwell, L. D. (2021). Factors influencing the decision of Illinois school-based agricultural education teachers to remain in the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 62(3), 121-137. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2021.03121

Magazine/Trade Publication

Solomonson, J. K., & Coy, M. (2022). Investing in your own: Illinois’ strategies to support and retain beginning agriculture teachers. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 94(5), 16-19.
Solomonson, J. K., &Wells, K. T. (2021). Avoiding the burn. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 93(4), 22-24.
Offerman, J., Solomonson, J. K., & Maxwell, L. D. (2021). Student teaching in a pandemic: It is all about perspective. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 93(6), 40-41.
Solomonson, J. K., & Taber, T. (2020). Integrating drone technology into the agricultural mechanics curriculum. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 92(6), 20-23.
Wells, K.T., & Solomonson, J. K. (2020). Using virtual reality (VR) technology in school-based agricultural education programs. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 93(1), 12-15.