Greetings, CALS,
This week interestingly has me focused on thinking about the past and the future of our college in new ways. On Wednesday evening, Feb. 1, we will celebrate the life and legacy of George Washington Carver (please join us at the celebration event starting at 5 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall) with clear links to our proud past and the inspiration, still, that Carver embodies.
Last week, I was in Florida making visits with alumni to talk about their commitments to our college, as well as their personal histories and their ambitions for us. And this week I'll have the truly great privilege of dedicating with others our satellite campus on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, named The Fork in the Road Station. That campus and the terrific programs and incredible students we have there, as I write this, are surely all about the future. St. John is not just a tourist destination - it's home to American citizens, including those descended from African slaves with their own rich traditions and beyond difficult past. It also has a beautiful and complicated landscape, from ocean reefs to mountain peaks higher than 1,200 feet, all on an island of only 19.6 square miles.
Carver himself, the scientist, artist and humanitarian, would surely be proud of us and the work we do in CALS to continue to advance people and landscapes. Like all of the destinations we visit for our Study Abroad and Study USA programs, we learn about where we've gone, and we learn even more about where we're from. There is no doubt that the people and landscapes of Iowa benefit from the new perspectives we gain when we travel and then return. Let's all rededicate ourselves, deliberately, to continue that work with purpose.
Have a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
A Seagrape tree for shoreline restoration, funded by the U.S. National Park Service, was planted this past weekend on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of the dedication of the CALS Fork in the Road satellite campus.
Several CALS staff and merit employees attended the CALS Staff Council ice cream social last week in the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion in Kildee Hall.
