I still get motivated by hot coffee and half and half in the morning—my clear hours. I even walk with coffee in hand. Recently, I found myself thinking about impact and how we align with our land-grant and outreach mission. Visible and tangible efforts to make our world better. And what I have learned is […]
This weekend I remembered why I love all four seasons here on the Palouse. Driving on lightly maintained roads about an hour north of Pullman, deep into what definitely passes as a winter wonderland, in search of wildlife at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge — hoping for moose, coyote, eagle, elk, but instead saw coyote, turkeys, hawks, pheasants […]
Today is my birthday. And I woke up feeling weary in spite of bright blue skies. I think it is becoming increasingly hard to shake the trauma that infiltrates our subconscious, taking its toll.
Clouds blanket the Rogue Valley, from where I write this morning, but I still believe I am going to win the bet with my husband for no “real” snowfall in Pullman before November 1.
Sometimes academia can be rough. We have real challenges with staffing shortages, equipment needs, and turnover without the ability to be fully nimble in our responses.
Fall is in the air. It is true. I try to hide that fact from my husband, but the small herds of students moving around a now vibrant campus, after the quiet days of summer, tell the whole story. At the College of Veterinary Medicine, we welcomed 137 new veterinary students, 143 new undergraduate students, […]
I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Philadelphia to attend some parts of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) meeting. I am always reminded of the amazing differences between East Coast and West Coast cities—architecture, history, food. I am grateful for the very real diversity of our country. It is a constant reminder of […]
Summer is finally here. The days are long, wow! Early morning light creeps in at 4 a.m., which I love, but it does awaken the quail that sit on rooftops throughout our neighborhood and “kaa” to, evidently, announce their availability to the lovely female quail. We seem to have a number of bachelors near us. […]
I am just beginning to learn the “seasons of academic life” here at WSU. It turns out, May is all about transition. There is an intense lead up to the grand finale of graduation where students and their loved ones wander in small herds all about the campus and faculty and staff are inundated with […]
Watching clouds move over high-rise buildings in the dense urban landscape of Seattle. A very different sort of place than the cattails in my Palouse backyard. Two parts of Washington state, both important, both with their roles to fill. My thoughts circle around how we work together statewide to train the veterinary specialists we need […]