A Word of Welcome, Connecting with Faculty and Staff Councils, and Hispanic Heritage Month

Tue Sep 27 13:42:41 MST 2022

Dear Colleagues,

A new academic year is a time for new plans, new projects, new faces. In our division we deliver programs throughout the calendar year, and the fall brings with it an added round of activities, whether you are teaching a new course, outfitting a lab, or juggling your priorities around our 4-Hers' county fair needs. The last few weeks have likely been busy professionally for each of us.

More than 1,200 faculty, staff, postdocs, and AmeriCorps members make up our team. Eight hundred thirty-five of you call main campus your workplace, and a full third of you work in county buildings and UA research facilities statewide. From Saint Johns to Nogales, from Duncan to Parker, you deliver the land-grant mission. We all share a dedication to transforming the lives of our students and Arizona's families and communities.

If you are new to our university or new to the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension, welcome! You are joining an exceptionally talented team--and we don't use that term lightly.

All division employees are invited to attend our ALVSCE Awards Celebration<https://compass.arizona.edu/events/1564-fall-2022-alvsce-awards-celebration> on October 10. You can visit with your colleagues and hear more about the great work you are doing collectively to achieve our strategic intents<https://alvsce.arizona.edu/about/strategy>. We will recognize once again all faculty and staff honored in 2020, 2021, and early 2022, and you are welcome to join us in-person or virtually for this hybrid event.

The ALVSCE Staff Council<https://compass.arizona.edu/staff/> has several initiatives this year. We have all missed the networking and social events that make this a special place to work, and the Staff Council will be bringing these back on main campus to make this our best year ever! Let council members know what you are doing outside of Tucson. Perhaps the council needs to introduce some virtual networking events?

Your Staff Council wants to keep you informed on its important work. One focus is to create additional opportunities for communication between ALVSCE staff and appointed faculty and staff leaders and managers division-wide, such as quarterly open meetings. Please keep an eye out for announcements throughout the year. Visit the Staff Council website<https://compass.arizona.edu/staff/> to see a list of council members and how to get connected. The council also needs and is actively seeking an additional representative from Cooperative Extension. Please consider this exceptional leadership growth opportunity.

The CALS/CES Faculty Council<https://compass.arizona.edu/faculty-council> provides oversight and gives recommendations on all current and proposed issues important to faculty. As a representative body, it advocates on behalf of the faculty. You can view the list of council members and summaries of each Faculty Council meeting at its website<https://compass.arizona.edu/faculty-council>. If faculty feel their voice is not being heard or have suggestions to improve policies and practices within CALS/CES, one route is to contact your representative on the Faculty Council.

September 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, one time when many annually formally recognize and celebrate the fundamental contributions that Hispanic people and culture have made to society. Last October, Eva Romero wrote a compelling news release<https://extension.arizona.edu/hispanic-heritage-promotoras-continues-be-strength-cooperative-extension> about promotoras, a model of public health program delivery imported from Latin America, which became part of Cooperative Extension in the 1960s. The promotora model continues to inform our delivery of health and nutrition education programs. While this way of practicing has become part of our norm, it's good for us to stop and recognize the value of the diversity we realize daily. If you have an opportunity for some reading today, take a look.

Wishing you a productive and rewarding year ahead.

Shane C. Burgess
Vice President, Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension
Charles-Sander Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Jeffrey Fehmi
Chair, CALS/CES Faculty Council (2022-23)
Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment

Amanda Stevens
Chair, ALVSCE Staff Council (2022-23)
Assistant Director, Operations, Division Business Services
Treasurer, Arizona Experiment Station

Shane C. Burgess

Vice President for the Division of Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, and
Cooperative Extension

Charles-Sander Dean of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Forbes Building, Room 306 | 1140 E. South Campus Drive
P.O. Box 210036 | Tucson, AZ 85721-0036
Office: 520-621-7621
sburgess at cals.arizona.edu<mailto:sburgess at cals.arizona.edu>
alvsce.arizona.edu<https://alvsce.arizona.edu/>
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twitter<https://twitter.com/UAAgLifeVetExt> | linkedin<https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-burgess-8871985b/>

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and
territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally
recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui.
Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build
sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous
communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community
service.
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