Each year, the start of the holidays seems to get here earlier and earlier. This year is no different. It feels like just yesterday (or maybe last week) that we welcomed 6,400 CBS students back to campus for the start of fall quarter. And now, here we are—it’s time to wish them luck on their finals, and then send them back to their friends and loved ones for a well-deserved break.

This has been a busy—and productive!—year for the college, as you can see in our video of the year’s highlights. Among many great achievements, Jay Stachowicz, a professor of evolution and ecology, has received quite a lot of attention recently. He’s now the interim director of the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute and was just named the recipient of the UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement, one of the largest prizes of its kind in the nation funded by philanthropy. I hope you will join me in congratulating Jay.

The end of the year is also my chance to thank the college’s generous donors and supporters. CBS raised $18.4 million over the last fiscal year—a record for our college—and is well positioned to continue advancing our understanding of life on earth. On behalf of the College of Biological Sciences, I thank all those who have provided support for our students, faculty and programs. If you would like to make a year-end, tax-deductible donation in support of the college, please do so here.

As the year winds down, I hope the time away is restorative for you. Though each year comes with its share of challenges, at this point in the season it’s hard not to be grateful for all that’s happened, and all that’s to come in the New Year.

Go Ags!