A message from Dean Saara J. DeWalt to the CBS community sent October 4, 2023.

Colleagues,

I hope your semester is off to a great start. It’s been a busy month for all of us no doubt. Since my first day in late August welcoming students at College Day, I have spent time getting to know the college. I visited our field stations and our Conservatory. I met with students, faculty, staff, and alumni across the college. I dove into the details and am learning the ins and outs of how things work here. It’s a lot to absorb, but the more I learn, the more I want to learn. There’s so much great work happening in every corner of this college.

In my first message to the college, I said I wanted to hear what you are excited about. Since then, I’ve observed the incredible energy, drive and dedication shared by many of you firsthand. Whether searching for fungi with members of the Itasca Booster Club, spending time in the Active Learning Lab with staff, talking with postdocs during Postdoc Appreciation Week, learning about long-term ecological experiments from graduate students at Cedar Creek, or hearing from faculty at departmental meetings, one thing is clear – there’s such a strong commitment to our mission and enthusiasm for life in every sense.

I also heard about some of the things that aren’t working so well. I want you to know I will do all that I can to address issues proactively. As both a scientist and an administrator, I rely on strong evidence to make decisions. Going to the source, hearing directly from members of this community, provides valuable insight and I plan to continue meeting with faculty, staff and students in the months to come. 

Another way to help inform me and the college’s leadership is through the Employee Engagement Survey, which launches October 16. The survey is a springboard for critical conversations and helps create the baseline for actions meant to make CBS work for everyone. I encourage you to make your voice heard. 

I hope to see you around campus in the coming weeks. Please don’t hesitate to say hello and introduce yourself!

Best regards,

Saara J. DeWalt 
Dean, College of Biological Sciences