The First Year Experience (FYE) program at UConn has renamed its teaching excellence award after Steven Zinn, professor of animal science in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR).

This honor recognizes Zinn’s decades-long commitment to teaching FYE courses.

“When they told me they were going to do this, it stopped me. It’s an honor to be recognized for my dedication to first-year programs and excellence in teaching in first-year programs,” says Zinn.

“Dr. Zinn understands the essential nature of relationship and community building for student success and has gone above and beyond to personalize and enrich the UConn experience for students through his work in FYE,” says Jordan Ochs, director of the FYE program and assistant director of First Year Programs (FYP). “Not only will [this honor] commemorate his years of service, but it will serve as inspiration to future FYE instructors who strive for excellence in their work through emulating Dr. Zinn’s example.”

Zinn began teaching the FYE course for first-year animal science majors in 1999, when the FYE program launched and the animal science major expanded enrollment.

“I thought our students should have the opportunity to meet an animal science faculty member at the start of their academic career,” Zinn says. “I got to meet just about every animal science student who came through as a freshman.”

Over the years, Zinn has taught 59 FYE sections with over 1,100 students and 34 peer mentors. Zinn has also served as the vice chair of FYP Faculty Courses and Curriculum Oversight Board (FCCOB) since 2016. Before that, he chaired the FCCOB since its inception in 2010.

Before that, he chaired the FYP oversight board since its inception in 2010. In 2001-2002, Zinn was the recipient of the FYE Teaching Excellence Award.

The FYE class in animal science provides students in the major with the opportunity to meet one another in a small group setting.

“It gives students in animal science the opportunity to meet another 20 or so students that are in the exact same boat,” Zinn says. “So, they can never say they don’t know someone in the program.”

Zinn and collaborators in the FYE program, including his daughter Anne T. Zinn, published a study in 2015 showing that first-year students who participated in the FYE course were significantly more likely to graduate with an animal science degree (80% vs. 60%) and are more likely to graduate in 4 years (70% vs. 60%) compared with students who do not take the course.

“[The goal is] to let students know they are supported by faculty and staff at the University, which is critically important as most are leaving home for the first time, they start to realize how different our expectations are from the expectations in high school, and their support system has changed dramatically, including their access to experienced adults,” Zinn says.

The FYE course includes both curriculum common to all FYE courses, such as lessons on respect, resume building, and visits from the Women’s Center, campus cultural centers, and Student Health and Wellness, as well as animal science-specific lessons. These include lessons about navigating animal science courses and potential careers with the major. Each class also has peer mentors, other animal science students who participated in the course as freshmen.

Animal science is somewhat unique in that it is only one of 10 majors at the University to have their own FYE course.

“I think [the course] is critically important,” Zinn says. “It’s a true example our dedication to student success.”

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