It was great to see students, faculty, staff, and friends of AGNR at Discovery and Innovation Night last week! I left the event greatly encouraged by our students and their commitment to positive change. We could use a lot more of that right now.
I enjoyed meeting a few newly admitted students from our Fall 2026 entering class and their parents during the event. Parents were impressed with the employer participation and the number of undergraduate students engaged in research projects and internships. We are definitely in that last push to the end of the academic year with commencement in sight while simultaneously courting next fall’s class of students. Our department chairs were on hand at the event to greet new students in their programs – another highlight shared with me by some parents and incoming students. Weekly updates on student commitments are part of the routine at this time of year, in addition to seeing many tours around campus.
Speaking of campus, the university has its accreditation review taking place this week. The review team is in town meeting with groups on Monday and Tuesday then reporting out a summary of their findings on Wednesday. I will tune in by Zoom during my visit to our Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center. I look forward to meeting the team from our Wicomico Extension office, too.
While I am on the Eastern side of the state I am visiting with the dean at the University of Delaware, Brian Farkas and touring the Carvel Research and Education Center to talk about opportunities to partner. I am getting as much as possible out of the trip East and attending the Delmarva Chicken Association meeting in person, my first time not attending by Zoom. It’s a good time to stop into the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and catch up with the leadership team there, too.
We are just over a week away from my first Maryland Day experience on Saturday, April 25! It sounds like it will be a full day of fun. Before we get to that day there are many meetings and deadlines I need to meet. That makes getting to the big day something to look forward to even more. I hope the weather stays as perfect as it was this past weekend!
