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Dear Colleagues: Over the past five years since I was first appointed dean, I have been grateful for the support and commitment I have received at all levels -- from the faculty, staff and student body, as well as university administration and our outside partners. As I prepared a performance summary as part of the recent leadership review of my five-year performance as dean, I was acutely reminded of the many ways in which our college sets the standard for our university and for higher education in the land-grant tradition. If you haven't yet, I hope you will take the time to look over the summary at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/admin/dean_eval.pdf. The successes highlighted in this report came amid unparalleled obstacles: among them, the most challenging state budget in memory; the worst flooding in North Carolina's history; and profound, new fears and threats to health and safety. For your remarkable resilience in the face of such challenges, and for your continued leadership, innovation and commitment, I wanted to thank you. You have made all the difference. I feel quite privileged and honored to have the opportunity to serve and work with you in the months and years ahead. I hope you will continue to let me know how I can serve you and how together we can achieve even greater levels of excellence and service to our students and to North Carolina's people. Best regards, |