Traffic, both auto and pedestrian, is picking up in College Park! I suspect faculty who have been gone for the summer are stopping by the office, and graduate students are making their way here! Just two short weeks and classes will be underway. It is even time to think about football games. I need to learn the norms and best practices for game day traffic, in addition to expanding my Terp wardrobe.
My calendar is filling, too, which is a very good thing. This week, I have standing meetings with members of the leadership team. In addition, I have the opportunity to meet with a long-time friend and supporter of AGNR’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science to thank them for their continued support. I will visit my first Maryland winery this week, as part of an event celebrating Maryland Agriculture. Towards the end of the week, the calendar hasn’t quite filled, perhaps making possible a visit to one of our statewide locations. I always enjoy getting out to see the impactful programs in action. I had a great time last week at the Queen Anne’s County Fair! The team there was great, even stepping out of their personal time to talk to me about programs and the amazing community and county support for the Fair. Thanks to Jenny Rhodes, Amy Lang, Rachel Rhodes, and Shannon Dill for hosting me! Once again, I am reminded what a small world it is – Amy’s son attended college in my hometown in New York State!
Did you hear that the anticipated incoming class for AGNR is 220 students? That’s up from 183 last year! I can’t wait to learn where our students are from and what their hopes are for their time with us. In addition to these students enrolled in a 4-year program, the numbers are up again for the Institute of Applied Agriculture students to an all-time high of 138 incoming this fall! I hope we get a good turnout of students (new and returning) and faculty for our ‘welcome week’ events to cheer on our new Terps!
