In case you were unable to attend the Employee Recognition Reception on Feb. 22, CAHNRS had a solid showing, with an impressive number of Length-of-Service Awardees from across the state in everything from the five-year category all the way up to 45 years. We are fortunate to have these long-standing employees! Ade Snider, academic/internship coordinator in the Department of Horticulture, was honored with a 2022 Crimson Spirit Award. Congratulations, Ade, and thanks for all you do for students, faculty, and peer advisors!
Congratulations, too, to all of the CAHNRS faculty who have received promotion and/or tenure advancements! You have worked hard for your success, and we are thrilled to see the accomplishments! I enjoyed delivering the good news. The Department of Human Development was especially fun because of the celebrations that Debbie Handy and hallmates offered immediately upon my departure. They are a supportive group of peers! I hope many across CAHNRS will participate in the Celebrating Excellence Banquet on March 31 to congratulate their colleagues.
Our students continue to do great things. Despite the frigid temperatures a couple of weeks back, the Student Swine Cooperative is successfully raising pigs, many for the first time. I know firsthand the challenge winter presents.
It is annual review time. I am reviewing documents this week in preparation for conversations later this month. While it’s likely no one’s favorite activity, I do enjoy reading about the successes and then having a rare chance to sit down and discuss accomplishments, challenges, and future plans.
In case you missed it, there is another CAHNRS for All DEI Town Hall scheduled for April 11. Contact Luz Maria Gordillo for details. I attended this week’s meeting virtually. It was unclear how many participants were there in person. Thirty-seven of us attended virtually, including the facilitator and two panelists. This is an important conversation for CAHNRS as we strive to meet our land-grant mission of serving all people of Washington. Based on the conversations and survey results, CAHNRS will formulate an improvement plan with the help of our DEI Advisory Committee.
March is a heavy travel month. Next week, Scot and I will be conducting Hill visits in D.C., sharing our program impacts and obstacles with our friends in the House and Senate. Glynda Becker-Fenter and her team keeps us well organized for these visits. The meetings make for a good opportunity to get to know our new representative and for her to get to know CAHNRS. The big unknown for the week is always the weather. Some years I have attended this meeting and ended up spending several days trying to get home. Other years, you would think it was already late spring. We prepare for everything to happen over the course of the two days running between buildings. The important thing is that we spend time sharing our successes with our friends and build their support for our programs!