From the Dean

As I begin my tenure as Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, I want to start by saying how honored I am to have the opportunity to serve this remarkable community.

I also want to express my deep gratitude to Mark Winey for his stewardship over the past decade. The college is stronger because of Mark’s leadership and because of the extraordinary dedication and resilience of our faculty, staff, students, and supporters. I am grateful for all that has been accomplished thus far, and excited about the opportunities ahead.

I am writing for the first time as the former dean of our college. The last decade of collaboration in support of our faculty, staff and students has shown me time and again that our college is made up of an extraordinary community. Whether you are a member of our esteemed faculty or one of our outstanding staff, you have my thanks for your ongoing support of our college. 

Finals are over, students are done, families are gathering—it’s commencement, the inspiring culmination of why we’re here, doing what we do. I will be on stage for this year’s ceremonies, as I have been for almost all of them over the last decade. This year, however, will be my last as dean of the College of Biological Sciences.

We are in the penultimate month of the school year. Already, commencement is around the corner, and the finish line is fast approaching. We’re used to cyclical patterns here on campus, but each year – as the season moves from wet and cold, to warm and bright – it’s a source of renewal and comfort to see many of our students preparing to take the final steps of their undergraduate academic journey. 

It’s officially spring in Davis. That means finding your bike or scooter – or even car – covered in a yellow dusting of pollen. In my Colorado days, dusting was snow! 

Here in Davis, it's getting warmer, spring quarter is just around the corner, and the energy of campus is high. It’s hard to believe we’re already in March! As usual, there’s been no shortage of activity in the college.

While there are many achievements and accomplishments still ahead of us this year, some have happened already. Researchers in the Department of Plant Biology received a $5 million Gates Foundation grant to support the expansion of self-cloning crops from rice to other staple foods in areas where availability of high-yield seeds is either unreliable or expensive.

California’s Tule Fog is always thick, but not always as persistent as it has been lately. With finals concluded last week and the students home, campus has been grey, cold and dreary – until today. For the first time in almost two weeks, blue sky was visible, the sun was out, and we were reminded of how beautiful our region is.

We are in the tail-end of the year. The quarter is in full swing, midterms are behind us and campus continues to bustle. There’s been no shortage of activity this fall, and I was very pleased to see UC Davis recognized as one of the top 10 public universities in the nation. 

Almost overnight, the season changed from the usual Davis summer heat to fall, which is a welcome shift—the wind is up, the skies are a little grayer, the days are shorter and, most importantly, the students are back.