Welcome to the start of a new school year. As students and faculty return to campus, we are preparing for a busy year of academics and transition. Fall is a season of change, and one big change we’ll see this year is in how we do business. After many years of planning, preparation and training, we are in the midst of transitioning to UC Path, a system-wide solution to modernize how we deliver payroll, benefits and personnel services.

This weekend, we celebrate 1,673 undergraduate students who will participate in one of two College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) commencement ceremonies on Sunday, June 16. Commencement marks the next phase of an incredibly bright future for all of our graduates.

Friends and colleagues of Dean Emeritus Charley Hess have been flooded with fond memories since he passed away due to congestive heart failure on April 13. We mourn his loss and celebrate his boundless energy, incredible work ethic and passion for agriculture, innovation and life. 

This winter has been extraordinary. We now have an abundant snowpack in the mountains and our reservoirs are filling to the brim. Our long drought is officially over. That’s great news, but we all know that our weather could swing back toward drier conditions without much warning. That’s one of the reasons the work we do is so important.

2019 is off to a good start and has already provided us with much needed rain and snow in the mountains. I am looking forward to a productive year filled with notable accomplishments for our faculty, staff and students. We are resolute in our commitment to make sure everyone in our college has the tools, resources and facilities to help them succeed. There are many behind-the-scenes activities that keep us moving in the right direction, and I thought it would be good to reflect on these as we begin the year. 

As the calendar year draws to a close, I find myself filled with gratitude for the dedication and hard work of our faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends who keep the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the forefront of meeting the challenges that face our world. You’ve heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so we decided to treat you to a slide show of a few highlights from 2018.

I’d like to extend a sincere “welcome back” to everyone after the Thanksgiving break and the campus closure caused by the very poor air quality from the tragic Camp Fire. Our hearts go out to all those affected by what is now the most destructive and deadly wildfire in California history.

One of nature’s most fascinating spectacles is currently underway in California: the annual migration of millions of ducks, geese, swans, cranes and other migratory waterfowl through the Pacific Flyway. The destination for a great many of these birds is the Central Valley of California. Here they seek out food and shelter for the winter before they head back north to Canada and Alaska to breed, nest and repeat the cycle.