By Melissa Martin
Aspiring Journalist
JONESBORO, Ark. — Stephanie Pulley, instructor of animal science, started teaching at A-State in August 2014. She teaches a variety of animal science courses and labs in the College of Agriculture and Technology. Pulley also performs research in animal science and advises the Pre-Veterinary Medicine Club.
Pulley attended Northwest Community College in Mississippi for her associate’s degree, the University of Tennessee at Martin for her bachelor’s degree, and finished at Kansas State University for her Masters of Science and doctorate.
She put herself through college by working at several vet clinics.
“I gained a lot of hands-on, time management and people management skills, sometimes in stressful situations. It taught me how to work with someone towards a goal and when to step up and be a leader, as it leads to a more organized effort that is more efficient. Most importantly, I think it taught me to ask a question even if I was pretty sure I knew the answer; better to be sure than potentially cause injury or a fatality by error,” Pulley said.
Pulley said she was attracted to choosing Arkansas State University because of the faculty, facilities, student body, and its location. “The department faculty members have been very helpful, supportive and motivating. They have been willing to help and advise a new professor to understand the workings and procedures of the university,” Pulley said.
One thing Pulley likes about Arkansas State University is the ASU Farm houses a variety of animals and has the facilities to provide instruction and handling of animals, which is important for students, especially those seeking to become veterinarians.
“The animal science students are excited to learn and are interested in the subject and it is a joy to teach them and challenge them,” Pulley said.
The location of ASU was also a plus for Pulley.
“I have a sister that lives in Millington, Tenn. and my mom and dad live in Dyersburg, TN. I have been away from my family for the past 6 years, so it is nice to be able to visit them more than twice a year,” Pulley said.
Growing up Pulley lived on a 300 acre farm in Tennessee where her family raised pigs and row cropped.
She said, “I grew up riding around in tractors and feeding animals. I think it was a great way to be exposed to agriculture and animal livestock practices,”
Although Pulley always wanted to work with animals, it wasn’t until her junior year that she learned that she did not have to be a veterinarian to do so and discovered her desire to teach.
Pulley said she seeks to enlighten students about the opportunities available to them in the area of animal science, such as internships, scholarships or graduate education.
“I want to motivate students to choose a career that they are passionate about and to know that you do not have to be a veterinarian to work with animals,” Pulley said.
Some advice Pulley would like to tell her students is to not get rid of your course notes.
“Do not give them away or throw them away or burn them. You never know when you or someone else might need them as a reference,” Pulley said.
Another piece of advice she’d like to share is to travel and see something outside of Arkansas.
“Do not be afraid to relocate or move. Often opportunities require you to relocate or move. It is not forever, unless you want it to be. A lot of people hold themselves back because they are not willing to move for a job or internship or graduate college. You don’t know what you might be missing out on if you don’t try,” Pulley said.
Courtney Nickleson, Animal Science major and president of the Pre Veterinary club, has taken two of Pulley’s classes, Small Animal Care and Theriogenology.
“She puts the material that she teaches into ways that the students can understand better. She relates the material to things we can visualize. I like that she brings new ideas to the table that are nothing like I’ve ever done before. She is one if the youngest professors in the Agriculture and Technology building, so it is nice that we have a professor that understands the youth and what we want to do in the college,” Nickleson said.
Another role Pulley plays at Arkansas State University is the adviser for the Pre-Veterinary medicine club. Pulley said she enjoys being the adviser.
“The members are highly motivated and not afraid to determine a goal and go after it. I simply advise them on the best course of action and then give them the reins to make it happen,” she said.
“It’s so fun to be in the club. Because of Dr. Pulley, we have all had the opportunity to do what we wanted to with the club. For instance, we want to go to Kansas this year to tour a dairy farm, which much of us have never seen,” Nickleson said,
Some of the members feel like that have a whole other family within the club.
“I was able to make many new friends while on our recent club trip to Louisiana. We created many fond memories and shared a bunch of laughs,” Julia McRee Animal Science majors and member of the Pre-Veterinary club.
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Stephanie Pulley, Animal Science Instructor
Phone: 731-514-9156 Email: spulley@astate.edu
Julia McRee, Junior, Animal Science Major
Email: julia.mcree@smail.astate.edu
Courtney Nickleson, Senior Animal Science Major
Email: courtney.nickleson@smail.astate.edu
Melisa Martin Photography 