Dear Students,
On behalf of our faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR), I want to officially welcome you back to campus! This has been a 20-month stretch unlike any other, but we are confident that things will continue to improve for the better. We are thrilled to have you back with us, to experience the natural beauty of UMD, to safely socialize, and to learn and interact with our world class faculty. While the Delta variant remains a concern, the University of Maryland has taken great strides to keep us healthy with a .5% positivity rate, low single digits for weekly cases, and a 97.6% on-campus fully vaccinated rate.
For the 159 arriving freshmen and our 97 transfer students, I am thrilled you have chosen our college - the Cornerstone College of the University of Maryland - as your academic home. We will work hard for you every day to curate the type of undergraduate experience that matters most, one that clearly defines your future and points you on a career trajectory to solve some of the world’s most immediate and relevant challenges, including global food insecurity, climate change, diminishing and contaminated natural resources, and disease prevention. If your quest is to help the world become a better place, you have chosen wisely and will have a wealth of career pursuits afforded to you with a 91% future placement rate.
Here in AGNR, we are firmly committed to establishing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture within our college. We have a new college-wide plan for diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect. It is our responsibility to ensure all individuals are equally welcomed and included in college activities, as well as respected for their differences. We look forward to your partnership and leadership in framing our college as a campus-wide leader in this space.
Throughout November 11 and 12, we will host our 4th annual Cornerstone Event with a focus on our Optimize Urban Environments Through Design, Green Technology, and Community Engagement initiative, which comes at a very opportune time given the White House’s focus on infrastructure, job creation, and climate change. Headlining the event will be keynote speaker Kate Orff, founding principal of SCAPE, a design-driven landscape architecture and urban design studio based in New York which addresses the global challenges of climate change and social and environmental justice. Registration will open soon and I sincerely hope you’ll be able to join us.
Finally, I thought I’d take a moment to share a few buzz phrases for our college shared by recent graduates that may help crystalize the excellence of the AGNR experience. Kaitlyn Davey ‘20 shared, “AGNR opened gateways for me to build a valuable professional network while engaging in active leadership and hands-on learning.” For Monae Wilmore ‘20, “The college has provided me with a home away from home. I’ve developed bonds with faculty and found my career path.” Caitlin Kim ‘20 offered “Finding leadership positions and research opportunities within AGNR has enriched my learning experience both inside and outside the classroom.” Our graduates are working in an incredibly diverse array of fields and industries including food and product safety, agriculture education, human and animal health, environmental policy, environmental horticulture, bioenergy, landscape architecture, and many more. I am confident that the future holds great things for each of you, and take pride in knowing that our college will be the springboard for your success.
We are delighted you have chosen our college for your academic home. We look forward to working with you to develop an educational experience that fully prepares you for an exciting and impactful future in your field. When you graduate from UMD, not only will you be a lifelong Terp, but you will have attained a world-class education from world-class faculty at a world-class institution.
Go Terps!!!
Warmly,
Craig Beyrouty
Dean and Director
