The season of gratitude is upon us, and we have so many reasons to feel joyful this fall. We are thankful for the campus’ approach to managing COVID-19 and the diligence applied to keeping us safe through vaccinations and accessible testing. Our vaccination rates are at 98 percent with a positivity rate of 0.06 percent for the past 30 days. Starting in January, the campus plans to make testing voluntary for vaccinated students, faculty and staff. This is an incredible milestone and a testament to the collective contributions we’ve made in an effort to support public health for the greater good of our community.

We are also excited to finally host fall commencement in person and that our 2020 graduates have been invited to come back to campus to celebrate their achievements. This celebration is long overdue and we can’t wait to honor our graduates with the ceremony they deserve.

And we are incredibly grateful for our donors, alumni and volunteers who generously supported us this past year. Despite the pandemic, we have been touched by the generosity of so many who have provided transformative gifts to support the college that ensure we are able to carry out our mission. The impact of your gifts makes a difference every day in the lives of our students, faculty and staff.

We especially want to thank Dick Jorgenson who made a $4,500,000 estate bequest to support the Department of Animal Science. The estate gift will be split, with $3 million designated for a Horse Barn fund and $1.5 million for animal science majors, with a preference for students involved in the facility. The money will be used to update our aging barn, revamp outdoor pens and expand internship offerings.

The college also received large gifts to support two of our campaign priorities, including funding that enhances educational learning outside of the classroom and a gift to support our Aggie Jumpstart program, which helps first generation, low-income and underserved students make the transition from high school and community college and increase their long-term success.  

These gifts help us toward our Expect Greater fundraising campaign goals, and we sincerely appreciate your support in our efforts to educate our students, create scholarships and fellowships, enable research, and provide space, equipment and infrastructure to develop solutions that advance a healthy and sustainable world. Your contributions inspire and motivate us to continue our dedication to our mission.

We hope your Thanksgiving holiday is full of joy, good food and quality time spent with your loved ones!