Tarleton's Tarpley honored at NACTA Conference TSU Newsroom STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State University’s Dr. Rudy Tarpley was honored Thursday at the annual conference of North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture with the organization’s Educator Award. Tarpley, the Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, has been part of the Tarleton faculty since 2010. “Being recognized at the national level is a great honor,” he said. “However, the best reward we receive as professional educators is to make a positive difference in the lives of our students.” Tarpley received his bachelor of science in agriculture and extension education in 1985 from New Mexico State University, his master’s in 1991 from Mississippi State University and a PhD in education with a major in agricultural education and experimental statistics from Mississippi State in 1993.