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Thankfully, summer is usually a bit quieter on a university campus. This time gives us a great opportunity to advance many exciting initiatives happening in CAFNR, MU and Missouri. We were very excited to hear the news that the Kansas City area was selected as the home for the relocation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service from Washington, D.C. This relocation provides a unique opportunity for the University of Missouri and CAFNR to work more closely with these agencies. I was also delighted to be part of the groundbreaking ceremony for the NextGen Precision Health Institute last week. This bold, UM System-wide initiative will help position CAFNR at the cutting edge of the agriculture-health frontier. I was proud to see our own Dr. Wes Warren, professor of animal sciences, speak at the event on how his research fits into this initiative. Dr. Tom Spencer, Curators Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences, was celebrated at a campus reception last week for his recent election into the National Academy of Sciences. We are proud of Dr. Spencer, his work, and how he has brought an “expectation of excellence” to CAFNR. I was honored to meet with our fine CAFNR staff last month for a town hall. I appreciated the thoughtful questions and the chance for discussion with our staff members. Thank you for hosting such a great event, CAFNR Staff Advisory Council! I enjoyed visiting with Eddie Sydenstricker and his grandson, Chase Monte, a CAFNR student, recently. We appreciate the support Sydenstricker John Deere dealerships provide to our CAFNR programs and students. I also enjoyed touring west central Missouri with Marshall Stewart as part of the MU Deans Tour. It is always invigorating to see everything going on in our great state, and how Mizzou and CAFNR touch so many pieces of it all. Finally, I am pleased to share that I have named Kerry Clark as director of CAFNR International Programs, effective Aug. 1. She is an assistant research professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences and a project manager for the USAID Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL). Dr. Clark has worked internationally throughout her entire career, beginning when she served in the Peace Corps in Mali. Her enthusiasm for helping farmers improve techniques across the globe, along with her experience in working on large interdisciplinary international projects, makes her a great fit for this important position. Championing global citizenship and engagement is one of the priority areas in our recently launched CAFNR strategic plan. CAFNR Proud! Christopher R. Daubert
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean |
