Snow greeted me on my return to Pullman. The amount was just right; not enough to shovel, but enough to remind me it is winter.
Congratulations to Tim Waters, WSU commercial vegetables Extension educator, who will be inducted into the Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame next week as the 2024 Rising Star Award recipient! The Port of Pasco and the Pasco Chamber of Commerce annually recognize community members who have made a difference.
This week, the Washington Grain Commission is on campus to hear from our endowed chairs who work in grains. Conversations will cover not only accomplishments but strategic priorities for efforts during the next few years. I look forward to hearing from our faculty and the chance to interact with the commission during the evening reception.
Departments and program units are gearing up for discussions about the position needs required to achieve our programmatic vision. With the big jump in new enrollees this fall, attention to recruitment across CAHNRS, and Extension and research needs, we need to develop a hiring plan that considers the previously approved faculty positions that have been on hold for a year. There’s so much more we want to do to build a resilient Washington, and restoring our lost capacity is critical to addressing current and emerging challenges. While departments will focus on programmatic positions, we know, too, that operational support position numbers need to come back closer to previous numbers.
Weather permitting, I have a chance to visit the WSU Breadlab later this week. It is always nice to catch up with Steve Jones, Steve Lyon, Kim Binczewski, and Janine Sanguine, as well as hear what the students are doing. It will be a quick trip, but well worth the long day.
It was fun to learn from Jeremy Tamsen that the Wenatchee World’s May article about the new WA 64 apple variety made the newspaper’s top 10 most popular stories in 2023. I love seeing the good work of CAHNRS recognized!
Enjoy the long weekend! We may have just started the semester, but no doubt we can make good use of an extra day!