We are in the penultimate month of the school year. Already, commencement is around the corner, and the finish line is fast approaching. We’re used to cyclical patterns here on campus, but each year – as the season moves from wet and cold, to warm and bright – it’s a source of renewal and comfort to see many of our students preparing to take the final steps of their undergraduate academic journey. 

In the month or so that we have before that happens, the college is busily working at full steam. Our research output continues to advance our collective knowledge across disciplines – from a new study about a plant hormone used in aspirin that helps plants balance growth and health, to significant news about a CBS faculty member being the sole UC Davis inductee to the National Academy of Sciences this year. Our faculty are remarkable. That’s just all there is to it. 

And our students continue to inspire, too. From one undergraduate’s journey from personal experiences with healthcare providers that motivated him to provide better care for his community, to a graduate student studying the critical coastal ecosystems created and protected by seagrass meadows, our students are doing many, many remarkable things. 

This is a busy time for the college, and for our campus. As we hurtle toward the finish line, it pays to remember that we’re here to support the next generation of scientists.

My time as dean is drawing to a close, but the work of the college – our faculty, staff and students – will continue, and it’s this legacy for which I’m most grateful.

Go Ags!