Dr. Orlando F. McMeans to receive the Career Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Baton Rouge, La. – Orlando F. McMeans, Ph.D., Chancellor-Dean of the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences, has been named one of three 2025 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Career Achievement Award recipients.

The award is presented to alumni who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements and/or made extraordinary humanitarian contributions resulting in meaningful or life-changing impacts on a significant population.

“I am honored to be named a recipient of the prestigious University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Career Achievement Award,” expressed Dr. McMeans. “My educational experience in ACES was indeed transformational in my career path as a scientist, academician, and administrator.”

Dr. McMeans earned both his master’s and Ph.D. in horticulture from ACES.

During the Alabama native’s career, he has served as the vice president for research and public service at West Virginia State University (WVSU), director of the Department of Land-Grant Programs, executive director of the WVSU Research and Development Corporation, and dean and director of the WVSU Gus R. Douglass Land-Grant Institute. He is also a full tenured research professor of biology. He has served in his current position at the Southern University Ag Center since 2019.

Dr. McMeans is actively involved in numerous national, regional, and local organizations, holding leadership positions and memberships that reflect his commitment to agricultural advancement. Notably, he served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU) and chaired the APLU’s Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) Policy Board of  Directors. He is also engaged in various committees and steering roles within organizations such as the Association of Research Directors (ARD) and the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy.

“The relationships I developed with my mentor, Dr. Robert M. Skirvin, faculty, staff, and peers have endured over the years since I graduated with my doctoral degree from the U of I.  I thank ACES for all they have done for me and this special recognition,” said McMeans.

Each year, ACES recognizes the achievements of its exceptional alumni in the categories of Outstanding Young Alumni, Career Achievement, Award of Merit, and ACES Family Spirit. The 2025 winners will be honored during the ACES Alumni Awards Gala on April 14, 2025, at the Pear Tree Estate in Champaign, IL.