Congratulations to our newly admitted Aggies! This spring we celebrate the freshman class of 2025 admits, and if all goes well with the pandemic and vaccination roll out, we will officially welcome them in person on campus this fall. Our transfer class of 2023 will receive their official admit notifications later this spring, and we are excited to welcome them into our college community, too.

Last year, the CA&ES Dean’s Office established the 2020 Academic and Strategic Planning (ASP) committee to review and update the 2015 Academic and Strategic Plan at the request of campus leadership. For the past five years, our college strategic plan has served as the foundational guide for how we continue to uphold our land grant mission to serve the public through research, academics and public service. 2020 marked the five-year anniversary of the initial plan, and we were due for an update.

A year ago, the world looked very different for our students as they neared the completion of their degrees. They were finishing up winter quarter, looking forward to graduating in June, and reaching out to potential employers in preparation for that next step. The pandemic forced many of the students to adapt their expectations for the new ways of working while sheltering in place and maintaining social distance. Now more than ever, our bright, educated students need to connect with supportive and engaged employers.

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2020, we want to share with you a few bright spots—images of our faculty, staff, students and friends of the college who have continued to support our efforts in spite of the challenges we’ve faced during the pandemic. Every day, we are privileged to work and learn with a remarkable and inspiring group of individuals who balance learning, research, teaching and service to the community, even in the face of extreme adversity.

We are entering the holiday season—a time that has always been about coming together to share a meal and spend time with family, and this is probably the most unusual Thanksgiving any of us will ever experience. We’re being advised not to do what is our natural tendency—to gather with the people we care about the most. This is a hard request after nine months of sheltering in place.

The beautiful ducks, herons and other birds have returned to Lake Spafford, right in time to welcome students, staff and faculty to another rewarding school year for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. This won’t be a typical fall quarter, of course, since most classes will be held online and extensive safety protocols will be in place on campus. But I, like so many of you, am hopeful for the future and eager to start the new academic year.  

Congratulations to the class of 2020! The hard work and perseverance of these students, whether they joined us as freshmen or as transfer students, has been a wise investment in the future for them individually and collectively for society as a whole. Their UC Davis bachelor’s degrees will open the doors of opportunity throughout their lives, and we expect they will make the most of those opportunities because of the values and skills they cultivated here.

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Spring quarter 2020 has been a challenge for all of us, with a pandemic in full swing, the difficulties of teaching, learning and working online, and most recently, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the resulting protests nationwide.

I have struggled to find the words that express my shock, anger, sadness and despair. As an African American mother of an adult son, watching the George Floyd video on television triggered feelings of fear, distress and worry for all my family members.

There are numerous reasons the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is a world leader in so many areas—bright students, hard-working staff and, of course, the willingness of our faculty to innovate and seek opportunities to keep California moving ahead whatever the circumstances.