The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture dean of AgResearch, Hongwei Xin, has been awarded the Excellence in Leadership Award from agInnovation South, the coalition of directors of state agricultural experiment stations in Southern states. The group is a regional coalition of the national Association for Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

At the UT Institute of Agriculture, Xin is responsible for the research programs of approximately 530 agricultural and natural resource faculty and professional scientists that study disciplines spanning seven academic departments and one School of Natural Resources from agricultural and resource economics to plant sciences, animal sciences, and biosystems engineering and soil sciences. Xin also oversees the management of ten research and education centers that conduct field research, demonstrations and education programs in strategic locations across Tennessee.