It is a busy time of year for everyone, and I have enjoyed all of the spring activities here in CAFNR – especially our evening of awards, Celebration of Excellence. Congratulations to everyone who was honored that night – we have so many remarkable teachers, advisors, researchers, students, staff members, alumni and friends in CAFNR. I was blown away by the talent we recognized April 5! You can see all of the winners on CAFNR’s website.

I was pleased to attend the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership conference last week in South Carolina. I am very proud of our college’s role in GICL – it is truly an unparalleled resource for cooperative leaders across the country and the world.

Thanks so much to everyone who attended all of our Faculty/Staff meetings this spring. Attendance indicated that having three meetings, each independently dedicated to a branch of the land-grant mission, was popular – but I do welcome your thoughts directly on this meeting strategy! Please share your thoughts by clicking on one of the links, below:

• Yes! Three meetings per semester was informative and helpful.
• No! Three meetings was too much time to devote for me. I would prefer only one meeting per semester.
• Other! I either am not able to attend the meetings either way, or I have another thought about this to share. (Please share further thoughts on this in the email!)

I appreciate that our university leaders are also communicating with us so regularly. We have another chance to visit with UM System President Mun Choi and MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright on Monday, April 30. Their Town Hall is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. in Columns Ballroom, Reynolds Alumni Center. Choi and Cartwright will provide updates on UM System initiatives, legislative affairs, the budget process and more. Please plan to attend and engage in the discussion.

We still have another big event coming up this spring – commencement! I am pleased to announce that CAFNR and SNR will have a joint ceremony this spring for the first time ever. We are proud that all 600 of our graduates will share the same stage. We will welcome Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, as our commencement speaker. Our CAFNR ceremony is at 8 p.m., Friday, May 11, in the Hearnes Center.

All of these graduates will now go out into the world and make lasting contributions to their communities. I know we have all of you to thank for helping prepare them for this exciting new step in their lives! Thanks for all you do for our students each and every day.

CAFNR Proud!

Christopher R. Daubert
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean

Nearly one-quarter of our students participate in a study abroad program during their academic careers. CAFNR offers $85,000 annually in scholarships for study abroad. We offer 20 programs in 14 countries; programs are tailored to degree programs.

Don’t Miss
2018 Earth Day-W.A. Albrecht Lecture, 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, 123 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building. The lecture will be presented by Ian Pepper, professor and director of the NSF Water and Environmental Technology Center, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona. He will speak on “The Soil Health-Human Health Nexus.” Pepper is a distinguished environmental microbiologist whose extensive research has focused on microbial aspects of water, soils and municipal waste. He is currently working on a new index for evaluating soil health. Pepper will speak on how soils can beneficially or adversely affect human health, and likewise how human activity can improve or destroy soil health. A reception will precede the lecture, at 3 p.m., in the ABNR Atrium.

Dean’s Roaming Office Hours, 4-5 p.m., Tuesday, May 15, ABNR Atrium.

CAFNR Faculty and Staff Picnic, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, 135 Ag Engineering Building. Join Staff Advisory Council for the carnival-themed event, including BBQ, games, photo booth and face painting!

Please Participate!
Survey for Strategic Planning Initiative. A student survey will launch this week, and the faculty/staff survey in early May. Encourage your students to participate in this important opportunity to help set and prioritize goals! And please take time to thoughtfully fill out the faculty/staff survey when the time comes. We appreciate everyone’s feedback immensely!

Faculty Voting. We need all faculty (regular and NTT) to vote when the faculty ballot for CAFNR elections and changes to the bylaws is sent this week! This vote is very important since it will increase effectiveness of shared governance by making bylaws changes less cumbersome in the future.

Marketing Resources
Templates. The CAFNR Communications team has recently added templates for PowerPoint presentations and for informational screens for monitors around our various CAFNR buildings, to MyCAFNR. Visit the Style Guides and Templates tab or just click here: mycafnr.missouri.edu/style to see the options. Not only are these branded for consistent marketing, they will help you get the job done faster, too!