Life happens, ready or not. Thanks to Nancy Deringer and Scot Hulbert for sending our graduates off into the world.
One of our students, economic sciences major Preston Bebich, was named a top 10 senior by the WSU Alumni Association. Congratulations, Preston! I missed a few of the commencement receptions due to a quick trip to New York. The warmer weather there had many out mowing their lawns. This made me think about Michael Neff and his lab’s work to find drought-tolerant grass varieties. Congratulations to that team for their recent recognition in Washington State Magazine!
I am back in Pullman now, and ready for the post-semester events and activities that run through mid-June. I need to catch up on what I missed during the system leadership planning meeting on Tuesday. Fortunately, Vicki McCracken and Scot Hulbert were able to attend. I am eager to learn more about the plans and approaches for administrative and program reviews this fall. While it might be scary to think about what we may learn about ourselves, it is imperative to consider how we move forward with what we have and simultaneously plan for what we could do with more resources. I am reminded of a comment many years ago from a sibling who, while working for a large financial institution, told me that “annual change is part of our business model. It’s how we stay competitive.” We may not look at the entire operation annually, but we can certainly look at pieces.
FFA week is here! Thanks to the departments who will engage with the FFA members and provide fun, educational experiences. Between commencement, the start of the first summer term, FFA, field days, and reunion events, the next six weeks are busy!
It was nice to see a strong turnout for the CAHNRS BBQ last week, and fun to meet a few family members of the CAHNRS team. Who knew that musical chairs had become a contact sport! Glad no one was injured. Congratulations to our grillmaster/musical chairs champion! I hope everyone gets a bit of downtime in between all of the upcoming activities.