Hello, CALS,
What a great time of year this is, and so busy, too, for us all. I hope your classes, field work, research, service, harvest, meetings and discussions are all going great. Keeping up is the hard part, but the work we do is so important and we are so committed to it and its positive outcomes that I believe we embrace it even as it gets tough - some days more than others! The conversations around salary and benefits are part of this, too.
A few notes. Our new CALS Strategic Planning efforts are going great and well underway. Have you checked out our Strategic Planning website? It’s a very concise and well-constructed website, built by a great committee and vetted and tweaked by multiple groups in the college – faculty, staff, students, leadership and more. And we are now in the stage of collecting statements of Strategic Initiatives from each department and unit, and they will be listed, pursued and updated on a rolling basis. It’ll become a working plan, not just a static statement of aspirations. Check it out.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a variety of important events, including the graduation event of the Land Stewardship Leadership Academy led by Adam Janke, Extension wildlife specialist. I also took part in the annual leaders meeting of the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, led by Mike Castellano, Sotirios Archontoulis and Melissa Miller in agronomy. Then on Wednesday evening, the annual William K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture, presented this year by alum, industry leader and entrepreneur, Al Tank. All great examples of our collective relevancy and impact.
This week, we are busy with excellent meetings and work with donors to the college as part of the annual ISU Foundation Governor’s meetings, including supporters of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, Global Resource Systems, EARTH, Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology, Student Pathways to Innovation and Leadership Program, and much, much more.
Please watch for information and participate if you can in the Oct. 10 lecture by Steve Hanke, watch for the ISU flu shot clinics, and please consider and work with your colleagues to nominate CALS faculty and staff for college or university awards (find award details and the nomination form on the newly designed CALS Honors and Awards website). We have great people to recognize – please help them get nominated!
My best for a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
Like very many of you, I love to gaze up at the night sky, but can only identify a few things. Last night, I looked up and saw a planet closer to the moon than the usual Venus that can be obvious in the night sky. That planet, which should be visible tonight, too, was none other than Jupiter! Check it out in this picture as the little white spot to the right of the moon. This has nothing much to do with CALS, except enjoying nature's beauty and vastness. Although, our views of the sky reflect the seasons, and those have everything to do with CALS! See what other planets will be visible in the night sky this month.
Last week was CALS Week. I hope you all were able to enjoy the week-long celebration of our college, organized by the CALS Student Council. From packing meals for Meals from the Heartland to the CALS Olympics to lunch on central campus, it was a fun-filled week made even greater by terrific weather.
