Greetings. As we approach the end of a year none of us will soon forget, I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of the work done by the students, faculty and staff of our College. It was a challenging time, but together we celebrated many accomplishments.
Our students persevered by adapting to new ways of learning to complete the spring and fall semesters. We made access and success a priority by providing more than $690,000 to over 330 students.
We introduced new programs in our nationally-recognized departments. Allied Health Sciences launched a new four-year degree at the Waterbury campus. The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment started a new program in urban forestry and arboriculture in addition to a graduate certificate in remote sensing and geospatial data analytics.
This year, the College received a $10 million USDA grant to study food safety related to antibiotics restricted poultry production. Our faculty will collaborate with researchers from twelve other institutions, the poultry industry and poultry producers. This grant is the largest in our history. In fact, research funding received by our faculty increased by more than 60 percent compared to the last year, totaling over $35 million.
Our Extension faculty worked tirelessly to assist Connecticut residents during these difficult times. Coordinating with the dairy industry and volunteers, they distributed milk and dairy products to more than 100 food pantries who serve more than 10,000 families in the state.
Our College completed a strategic vision to guide us for the next decade and we reaffirmed our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
These are only a few of the many accomplishments of our students, faculty and staff. Thanks to your continued support, our College continues to fulfill its mission in teaching, research and extension education.
I wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and joyful holiday season and a new year full of hope. Be well.
Indrajeet Chaubey
Dean of the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources