Howdy,
As spring comes to a close and summer arrives, the academic year has ended for many of our students.
To those outgoing graduate students already working across the state toward healthy lives and livelihoods — improved through abundant, affordable and high-quality food and agricultural products in Texas and around the world — we wish you the best as you begin your careers.
Since our March newsletter, in addition to the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas A&M AgriLife facilities in Amarillo and Vernon sustained damage from separate weather events. In Amarillo, a hailstorm damaged facilities at the Bushland research facility, and in Vernon, a tornado damaged facilities at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center and Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed. We appreciate the work faculty, staff and local communities have conducted together in recovering from these events.
Across Texas this spring, as many of our crop and livestock producers planted crops and welcomed new births, below-average precipitation posed significant hardship, which persists. It is with this in mind that the world-class scientists and support staff of Texas A&M AgriLife Research continue to advance the state of agriculture for the benefit of our stakeholders and consumers. We continue to seek innovative solutions that bolster resilience to decreasing water supplies, increase resilience to pests, and strengthen tolerance to a varying range of environmental stresses.
AgriLife Research efforts to address these observed needs include:
- A statewide initiative to improve research infrastructure and equipment.
- Recruitment and hiring of expert, productive faculty and staff.
- Increased opportunities for graduate students, especially through invaluable working experiences at our off-campus locations across the state.
Very soon, we will welcome a new Vice Chancellor and Dean to Texas A&M AgriLife, and the leader who enters this role will receive significant support from AgriLife Research. Our agency will work hard to quickly provide them with the necessary foundation for partnership in communicating how AgriLife Research addresses the needs of our stakeholders.
Today, however, I am pleased to announce another valuable leadership addition to AgriLife Research. Mr. Stephen Cisneros has joined our team as Associate Director for Operations and Development. Stephen brings a wealth of operational experience and will serve as a collaborative asset, working strategically with our off-campus locations toward boosting financial support of the critical research they conduct. More information on Stephen is included in this newsletter.
In addition to Stephen’s arrival, Dr. Henry Fadamiro, AgriLife Research Associate Director for Faculty Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer, has taken on the additional responsibility of Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Dr. Fadamiro’s appointment gives AgriLife Research an opportunity to holistically review our research portfolio on campus and across the state.
Meanwhile at the Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, Dr. Allen Berthold has been named Interim Director following Dr. John Tracy’s retirement at the end of May. Please look for more about Allen online at AgriLife Today and by following @txresearch on Facebook and Twitter.
As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I plan to visit all on-campus academic departments and off-campus research centers within the next 12 months. These visits have begun and will continue throughout the year. Please let us know of any special events taking place at your off-campus locations so that our visits might align with you and your stakeholders’ goals.
On a closing note, please keep the community of Uvalde in your thoughts, as well as those of Vernon and Amarillo. I wish you all a productive summer, and I look forward to meeting up with many of you in the coming months.
Gig ‘em!
