eCALSconnect Vol. 12-4

Message from the Dean

Susan A. Henry
The Ronald P. Lynch
Dean of Agriculture
and Life Sciences

At the end of the academic year, we set aside two very special weekends: one, to herald our new graduates; the second, to welcome alumni back to campus. On May 26, the Cornell community, parents, and friends began convening to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the Class of 2006 and to fête the faculty, staff, and families who brought us to graduation together on May 28. From June 8 to 11, we celebrated our loyalties to the College by renewing common bonds and friendships during Cornell Reunion. These are capstone occasions, and I was heartened to see so many of you at both events.

I would also like to welcome all staff in CALS to the subscriber list of eCALSconnect. This is the College's internal newsletter, whose electronic distribution was launched in 2006. eCALSconnect is distributed in March, June, September, and December by the CALS Office of Alumni Affairs, Development, and Communications. Broadening the distribution to CALS staff as well as CALS faculty, and to decision makers in Day Hall, has increased our readership from 1,500 to 4,680 subscribers.

CALS is a remarkable community. This newsletter is one of the best ways to communicate among ourselves. Take the opportunity to read it. I also encourage you to communicate often with the behind-the-scene editors at ecalsconnect@cornell.edu, and I welcome you all aboard.

As this is also the end of the fiscal year, it is a time for us to reflect on the recent budget actions taken by the New York State executive and legislative branches. On the state side, I am very happy to report that the budget for the contract colleges is a very positive one. For the first time, Cornell's land-grant activities have been acknowledged in the budget. Our land-grant mission, like our academic mission, will continue to be funded through SUNY, but will no longer be funded based on factors such as student enrollment, external research funding, or unique costs to a campus, none of which is relevant to our land-grant activities. The leadership at SUNY has been fully supportive of these changes. We appreciate their role in making this year's state budget a good one for higher education and CALS.

Complete Dean's message, including state and federal budget updates

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