Outstanding teaching has long been a priority for animal science departments. Sustaining excellence in teaching has become a challenge for animal science departments because of declining state funding, the changing nature of our student bodies, loss of livestock units that support teaching, and increased emphasis on extramurally funded research. Excellence in teaching requires that the organization has a culture that respects teaching equal to other mission areas. Attributes of outstanding teachers include compassion for students, a commitment to helping students learn and grow, excellent listening and communication skills, and competence in the subject matter. When recruiting new faculty with teaching responsibilities, it is essential that the evaluation process include the potential for effective teaching. Most candidates for new faculty positions do not have extensive teaching training or experience. Therefore, the evaluation of teaching is primarily one of assessing teaching potential. Many departments use a teaching demonstration as part of the interview for faculty positions that have teaching responsibilities. Properly rewarding faculty and graduate students for excellence in teaching requires a reward system where teaching is effectively evaluated and respected. Student evaluation of teaching is a useful tool, but it has limitations. Peer evaluation of teaching can also be an effective tool in improving teaching quality.