Message from the Dean - December 1, 2025

December 1, 2025

Hello, CALS,

I hope you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed some quiet downtime and/or some exciting uptime! Winter has sure arrived with its own version of excitement. Be safe out there.

The week before the holiday, I was in Washington, D.C., for several meetings with USDA, APLU and AAAS, as well as to convene the annual AAAS-CV Riley Memorial Foundation events. This year, CV Riley events included a policy roundtable, graduate student poster session and competition (with four of our own students participating), a distinguished lecture by Christina Grozinger from Penn State and a discussion panel.

This week, we have the annual Deal Lecture given by Gretta Irwin, the executive director and home economist with the Iowa Turkey Federation, at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the Curtiss Hall Auditorium. Please come out and hear from a great leader in Iowa agriculture, and bring a colleague and two students along with you!

Have a great week, here on the homestretch to CALS Convocation, ISU Commencement and the happy winter holidays.

My best, Dan

Scenes from CALS

Knapp Wilson bridge over a street in Washington, D.C.
The Knapp (foreground) and Wilson arches connecting the north (right side) and south USDA buildings in Washington, D.C., dedicated to former deans of CALS (both), and ISU president (Knapp) and USDA Secretary (Wilson), who together also had very much to do with the development of the Agriculture Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension ideas.
Knapp Memorial Arch description on the side of a cement brick building.Wilson Memorial Arch description on the side of a cement brick building.
Five people sitting at a table with microphones in front of them.
While at the AAAS-Riley Memorial Foundation events in Washington, D.C., I convened a policy roundtable on agricultural research and U.S. competitiveness. The panel included, left to right, moderator Lowell Randall, executive director, Agricultural Policy Advocacy Program, Texas Tech University, and panelists Scott Hutchins, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, chief scientist for the USDA, and CALS entomology alum; Josie Montoney, professional staff, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture; Kathy Simmons, chief veterinarian, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Center for Public Policy; and Carson Fort, manager of government affairs, American Soybean Association.