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Celebrating our CAFNR May Class of 2020 this past weekend – the first class of our 150th anniversary year – reminded me of how we have persevered in the face of much adversity and uncertainty this spring. I hope you will take a moment this week to reflect on how much you have accomplished these past two months, under less-than-ideal circumstances. To see the many ways we honored and celebrated our CAFNR graduates last Friday and Saturday – if you haven’t already – go to cafnr.missouri.edu/commencement-2020. I know I say this every year, but what an amazing group of graduates! CAFNR recruits, educates and graduates the best of the best. We are very proud of their accomplishments, and those of all of our students, as we are all part of their educational experience. In looking back on the past weeks, I am proud of how we have kept important projects and our land-grant missions moving forward. I’ve met with many groups in academia and agriculture over the past month, keeping abreast of the challenges we are all facing, and how we can help each other. These touchpoints have included a meeting regarding the Missouri Ag Supply Chain with MO Ag leaders; an APLU Board of Agriculture Assembly (BAA) meeting; USDA discussions; AgriFoodTech commercialization discussion with BioGenerator in St. Louis; and a discussion with Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe regarding meat processing in Missouri. I look forward to additional meetings this month including the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City monthly meeting and webinar on May 21, focusing on 4-H, and a MO Innovation Center Board meeting. I have provided updates to a few different groups during this time, including the CAFNR Administrative Leadership Council, keeping them informed to our response to the COVID-19 crisis. I am also proud to be participating this month as a new board member in orientation for the Institute of Food Technologists Board. I am serving on committees for both the College of Engineering dean search and the MU Vice Chancellor for Advancement. It has been interesting to participate in these searches virtually! As you might expect, I have attended many meetings regarding budget, space, plans for the fall semester, and more. I have shared updates as I can with you, including cybercafes with faculty and staff last month. I plan to host a budget Town Hall later this month or early in June, when/if we have information to share. There are still a lot of unknowns! Our office is also hosting a CAFNR Promotion and Tenure Webinar on May 27. I hope to “see” many of you there. I want to share the efforts of another group that has kept its mission of engagement with staff going strong during our time at home. CAFNR’s Staff Advisory Council has provided outreach opportunities including four sessions of Storytime with the Dean, five STAFNR Snapshot Newsletters and two Happy Hour sessions. They have seen their Facebook page engagement increase by 268 percent in the past month! In addition, they are planning a celebration on the 150th day of the year in honor of CAFNR’s 150th anniversary (in lieu of the annual spring picnic). Staff Council has aggressively and strategically pushed staff nominations for campus awards in spring 2020. Their efforts resulted in seven campus-level award winners and finalists across the College (see Tiger Roars, below!) I am so proud of their efforts. I hope you will take time to relax and disconnect this upcoming holiday weekend as you look back on the semester. Enjoy the Memorial Day holiday! CAFNR Proud! Christopher R. Daubert, Ph.D.
CAFNR Vice Chancellor & Dean |
