The winds have whipped up in the Palouse, adding drama to this week of ceremonies and education rituals. Last month I wrote about firsts. This month is about the annual welcoming events that tie us together as an academic community. At the college this fall, we welcomed 141 new veterinary students, around the same number […]
Rain came, reminding us of summer’s tenuous hold on the Palouse. But, to me, the intense greens are worth the gray skies. We have those lively quail and red-winged blackbirds back (although, who really needs to sing at 4 a.m., honestly?) and my husband and I have discovered a pond dominated by yellow-headed blackbirds. Very […]
These owls spent a few weeks in the trees outside of Bustad, while the owlets were in the branching phase. We couldn’t stop looking at them. We took field trips outside, chatted with people we didn’t know (who, without our amazing guidance, may not have even seen the wonder)! We were giddy. The owls have […]
I slept this weekend and truly deserved it! I have been on the move since early January, travel for conferences, development, and federal engagement can be exhausting. But the time is punctuated by surprising moments of impact and connectivity as well as a deep recognition (and gratitude) for all the work people at WSU are […]
As a university, we have been thinking more and more about what it means to have an international footprint. The depth and breadth of our programs in East Africa provide a strong pathway to pursue program building and partnerships in new areas, including engineering, agriculture, and social sciences. We re-signed an MOU with the University […]
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.
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.
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 […]