Fall arrived just a few weeks ago. Summer felt longer this year than it really was, but that’s how things go when there’s so much activity. Since June, the college has welcomed a new associate dean of research and was proud to welcome back an alum as the new director of the UC Davis Genome Center. And those were just two of the many things we accomplished over the summer months.

Another source of pride – for our whole campus – was seeing UC Davis exceed $1 billion in research funding for the second year in a row. It’s a tremendous milestone and speaks to the impact, breadth and excellence of our faculty and their work. I am also very pleased to share that campus raised over $250 million dollars last year, including a record-breaking $18.4 million in philanthropic contributions to CBS alone. On behalf of the college, I thank all those who have given in support of our teaching, research and service mission.

It was a busy – and successful – summer for our students, too. One of our recent alums received the University of California's President's Award. We also welcomed over 2,000 new CBS students. I’ve said it many times before, and will say it again, but I never cease to be proud of our students. It's always such a pleasure to welcome new CBS Aggies to campus.

As the year continues, there will be no shortage of activity. In that way, this year is like all the others. On a university campus, we’re used to the rigors of the academic year, which are already ramping up, but there are also many great things to enjoy: the presence of our students, the chatter in the hallways, the crowded welcomes (three cheers for free t-shirts!) and the excitement of starting a new year of discovery and achievement.