This week we celebrate our graduating students through spring commencement. CAHNRS has 200 undergraduates attending Saturday’s Pullman ceremony, while more than a dozen will walk at ceremonies on the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Everett campuses. The infectious enthusiasm of the families and graduates will make for a fun morning. Nancy Deringer and I look forward to attending Saturday’s ceremony, while Scot Hulbert will participate on Sunday. In addition, many of our departments are holding events that begin as early as Thursday. It will be a fun week.
Amid the excitement of commencement, we have state budget details to sort out as we anticipate impacts to CAHNRS. We continue to work through agreements with federal agencies, too, recognizing that things change rapidly and unexpectedly. Our principal investigators have navigated the uncertainty well, given the circumstances. The pending tariff impacts won’t be seen for a few weeks yet. It’s a challenging time where we must focus on what we can control.
On Wednesday of this week, Jim Smith and I attend Okanagan Specialty Fruits’ open house, including tours of the Moses Lake facility. I look forward to the event and the possibility of seeing a number of our faculty and partners. It will be a long day, but Jim and I have plenty of topics to cover during the trip.
Enrollment projections continue to surpass the numbers at this time last year. We might see further increases following the upcoming Washington FFA State Convention & Expo. One might think that the week after commencement would be quiet. But with thousands of FFA members arriving in Pullman on May 7, next weekend promises to be anything but sleepy! The attendees sincerely appreciate the efforts CAHNRS faculty, staff, and students put into providing interactive learning opportunities over a three-day period! Thank you to all who help make the convention possible!