As the year draws to a close, I’d like to reflect on the many successes of 2019. I feel very fortunate to have been welcomed into the UTIA family this year, and I am excited to see what the year 2020 brings.
Our dedicated faculty and staff have been and continue to be the treasures of our successes in serving our stakeholders in the great state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. We are very delighted and excited to have attracted ten new faculty talents to our AgResearch team this year.
The state remains our campus. Our ten AgResearch and Education Centers, strategically located across Tennessee, continue to serve as the field laboratories that provide critical support for finding Real. Life. Solutions. through our research and education programs, with more than 800 field trials, seventeen field days, and over 800 peer-reviewed research and Extension publications tied to the AgResearch centers, to name a few impactful deliverables.
Fostering/strengthening partnerships to address complex grand challenges facing our state and nation is a central focus of ours. We are thrilled to be the first academic institute in the nation that has formed a strategic partnership with The Nature Conservancy toward addressing climate change issues through the Working Woodlands Agreement.
We take special pride in our faculty and staff as their scholarly excellence, dedicated service, and outstanding leadership get recognized in the Institute, the University, and professional organizations. They are too numerous to list in such a letter.
During this time of year, I hope that you find time to be with family and friends. Wishing you the warmest blessings of the season and happy holidays from my family to yours.
Go Vols!
