Dear CAHNR Alumni and Friends,

The fall season has brought much beauty to all of UConn’s campuses. As the autumn leaves continue to turn and the end of a busy semester approaches, we are reminded of all the achievements that our students, faculty, staff, and the University as a whole have experienced.

Despite all the challenges we have faced during the pandemic, our community continues to thrive in the three mission areas that make UConn a top public university: research, education, and extension outreach.

Remarkably, for the first time in UConn’s history, our researchers won over $300 million in external funding for research, service, and other sponsored program awards. Faculty from the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources contributed significantly to this total, winning $31.4 million in external funding last year. To continue to add to this growth, the College is also conducting many faculty searches across departments this year, with an impressive total of 20 new hires. Every department will have open positions to fill, and we are confident that we will attract phenomenal candidates who support our mission and our strategic focus areas.

UConn Extension and their programs in all 169 Connecticut towns continue to be the gold standard for connecting communities in our state with resources and research that improve quality of life. In 2020, UConn Extension reached over 100,000 people, including over 15,000 youth participants through programs like UConn 4-H and UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy.

The return to primarily in-person classes this semester has allowed our students and faculty to come together and learn from one another again. Thanks to high rates of vaccination among students and faculty/staff, combined with a commitment to the UConn Promise, the fall semester was as close to normal as we could have hoped for. This is a testament to the UConn community’s collective ability to work together, practice patience and compassion, and focus on the common good above all.

These successes fill me with a great sense of appreciation and gratitude. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our dedicated community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends who make our College the special place that it is.

On behalf of all of us at CAHNR and the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture, we wish you health, happiness, and togetherness this Thanksgiving season.

Go Huskies.

Indrajeet Chaubey, Dean and Director