Congratulations to our newest LIFT Faculty Fellows! CAHNRS is fortunate to have a number of faculty selected for this program: Jennifer Putney and Cory Bolkan (Department of Human Development); Kimberly Davenport (Department of Animal Sciences); John Kontos (School of Economic Sciences); and Alexandra Johnson (Department of Horticulture).
Congratulations also to the Celebrating Excellence Banquet honorees. We are so proud of each person recognized. The celebration continues this week with the recognition of our CAHNRS students at an awards ceremony on Thursday afternoon. Registration this year is strong for both scholarship recipients and the generous donors who have made the awards possible. I look forward to the event. Our donors are committed to helping students succeed.
As we embrace the spirit of “Cougs Helping Cougs,” let’s gear up for #CougsGive on April 17. The event is more than a day of giving; it is a testament to the strength and generosity of our Cougar family. I am ready to make an impact by matching gifts to the CAHNRS Community Fund! We have many matching gift opportunities this year, thanks to our external partners and a number of our employees.
Meetings with chairs and directors are in full swing this week. We had our bi-weekly meeting on Monday to plan for a mid-May retreat. Throughout the rest of the week, the associate deans and I will meet with five departments. Between those meetings and provost candidate interviews, the week will be busy.
On Friday, I head to Vietnam with Partha Pande from the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, a few of our agriculture commodity group partners, and friends from our state agencies and Gov. Inslee’s office. It has been six years since I was last in Hanoi and a bit longer since I was in Ho Chi Minh City. I am particularly excited to visit the Hi-Tech Agricultural Park in Ho Chi Minh City. I may not touch base next week due to travel and the time difference, but please know that I will be thinking about how CAHNRS can develop partnerships in Vietnam that will benefit Washington, Vietnam, and our programs.