By Whitney Baxter
Gail Nonnecke estimates she has built strong connections with more than 4,000 students over the course of her career at Iowa State University. As she prepared for retirement this past spring, she reflected on her 40-plus years in Ames.
Nonnecke, a recently retired University Professor and Morrill Professor of horticulture, was hired for an extension, research and teaching position by Iowa State’s Department of Horticulture in 1984. Her focus was on berry crops and grapes. Back then, having roles in all three areas of the land-grant mission was uncommon.
“I loved working with Iowa fruit growers through Extension, taking time to understand and address the issues they were facing,” Nonnecke says. “I developed a deep understanding that production practices researched and recommended need to be affordable for the grower.”
Creating a first-of-its-kind major
Among her many accomplishments on campus was developing the global resource systems major in 2008. At the time, no other academic program like it was offered that would prepare students to address the challenges in the world they would inherit, Nonnecke says.
The GRS major requires students to select an area of expertise, which involves completing a second major or a minor. Through their studies, students learn how limited resources throughout the world are used to create sustainable systems.
Nonnecke says the connections she had with individuals on campus, along with assistance from CALS faculty, played a significant role in the interdisciplinary major’s approval.
“There was a lot of excitement about the GRS major,” Nonnecke says. “It was important to us that we were creating opportunities for students to prepare to live the life they want to live and find a career they’re passionate about. And these students are remarkable when they graduate.”
Sam Bird (’12 global resource systems, economics) was among the first students to earn a GRS degree. He says Nonnecke truly cares about her students and has a way of seeing the “big picture” when helping plan their on- and off-campus educational experiences.
“During advising meetings, she would ask questions to get to know you better – what you like to do, how things are going,” Bird says. “Based on that, she’d have thoughts and suggestions about what would be best for you based on the outcomes you had in mind.”
Danika Hannon (’13 global resource systems) says it was clear to students that Nonnecke believed in them and wanted to see them succeed.
“When I was an undergrad in GRS, none of my wildest dreams were too outlandish for Dr. Nonnecke, and I always walked away from our coaching conversations with a sense of, ‘Okay, she believes in you. Now what are you going to do to meet your goals?’” Hannon says.
Expanding students’ world views
All GRS students are required to complete international learning experiences. Some have been involved in programs in Uganda and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which Nonnecke helped establish.
Iowa State’s Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods was established in 2004 in Uganda’s Kamuli District. As associate director of the program, Nonnecke was involved in several projects since 2005 that brought together students, faculty and staff from Iowa State and Makerere University to carry out programs that would benefit Ugandans and provide educational experiences for the Iowa State students. Those included school garden and lunch programs, youth entrepreneurship programs, service learning and study abroad opportunities.
“If we saw a need, we were able to refine a program to meet that need,” Nonnecke says. “Helping to create better futures for Ugandan children and youth has been inspiring to be part of.”
Shillah Kwikiiriza, a doctoral student in horticulture and seed science, met Nonnecke 10 years ago as a student at Makerere University. As a result of connections made with Nonnecke and other Iowa State employees in Uganda, Kwikiiriza applied and was accepted for graduate school at Iowa State. She has appreciated Nonnecke’s unwavering support while being so far from home.
“Behind her hard-working personality, Dr. Nonnecke’s leadership style is a beautiful blend of guidance and mentorship, making her not just a supervisor, but a trusted friend and an extended family member away from my family in Uganda,” Kwikiiriza says. “It’s been an honor working and studying under Dr. Nonnecke’s guidance and leadership.”
Nonnecke also joined efforts in the EARTH Program, which started in 2010 on the island of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Through EARTH, Iowa State students participate in high-impact learning activities, working to improve lives and sustain the island’s food and environment.
Ellen Reed (’21 global resource systems, horticulture) says memories and knowledge gained from the EARTH program have stuck with her. The service-learning style of the program immersed her in the island community.
“The relationships I formed with the women we cooked with in a program to help with food insecurity, the teachers and students at the Gifft Hill School, and the employees at the St. John Community Center were possible because the EARTH program puts students like me in a setting where that is possible,” Reed says. “I cannot thank GRS, and most importantly, Dr. Nonnecke, for cultivating a program that has impacted me so profoundly.”
A legacy of impact
Through her role with Cargill, Jenna Hintz (’18 global resource systems, music) partnered with Nonnecke to offer learning experiences, internship opportunities and capstone projects to GRS students. Hintz says she’s always amazed at the level of talent among Nonnecke’s students.
“She has built a legacy of developing the next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers,” Hintz says. “Iowa State University has been blessed to have such a talented, invested and passionate professor all these years.”
As a rural Iowa native, Dalena Rogers (’21 global resource systems, horticulture, ’24 MS environmental science, horticulture) says Nonnecke helped her find her place at Iowa State and discover her future profession.
“I know I am not the only student that Gail has had such a profound impact on. There are dozens of young professionals all around the world, across a variety of disciplines, that would attribute their professional success to the time, effort and heart that Gail pours into each of her students,” Rogers says.
Nonnecke says it’s been an honor to work at Iowa State and to make so many connections with students, faculty and community members on campus, in Iowa and around the world.
“I’ve had many opportunities to train undergraduate and graduate students in meaningful courses and projects and support them as future professionals to go out and make their mark on the world,” Nonnecke says. “I’m very grateful that Iowa State has given me the opportunity to do what I love all these years.”