Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0814

HR0814 LRB104 21297 ECR 36073 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Paul B. Stoddard on the occasion of his retirement from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign after a distinguished career in agriculture, finance, and higher education; and

WHEREAS, Paul Stoddard was raised on a family farm in Piatt County, where he developed a lifelong commitment to agriculture and rural communities; and

WHEREAS, Paul Stoddard received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois, where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, combining a strong academic foundation with deep agricultural roots; and

WHEREAS, Paul Stoddard built a successful professional career spanning farm management, commodity trading, agricultural appraisal, and financial services, including serving as chief appraiser at Farm Credit Illinois, where he provided leadership, training, and expertise to agricultural stakeholders across the Midwest; and

WHEREAS, Paul Stoddard, after adjunct teaching for ten years, joined the faculty of the University of Illinois as a full-time lecturer in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics in 2012, where he taught courses in agricultural marketing, farm management, negotiation, food and agribusiness management, and personal financial planning, shaping the academic and professional development of thousands of students; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of Paul Stoddard's teaching career, more than 11,500 students have passed through his classroom, benefiting not only from his expertise in agriculture and business, but also from his mentorship, practical wisdom, and commitment to student success; and

WHEREAS, Paul Stoddard has been recognized for excellence in teaching for 39 consecutive semesters at the University of Illinois, and he has received numerous honors, including the University of Illinois Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and the College of ACES Karl E. Gardner Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Award; and

WHEREAS, Widely respected by his students and colleagues, Paul Stoddard is known for his engaging teaching style, real-world perspective, and dedication to building meaningful, personal connections with students, inspiring them to succeed both professionally and personally; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Paul Stoddard has embodied the land-grant mission of the University of Illinois by bridging agriculture, business, and education and by preparing generations of students to contribute to the vitality of Illinois agriculture and the broader economy; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Paul B. Stoddard on his retirement from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign after his outstanding career and dedicated service to the University of Illinois, the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, and the people of the State of Illinois, and we wish him continued success, good health, and happiness in his well-earned retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Paul Stoddard as an expression of our esteem and respect.