As the spring semester concludes and we prepare for finals, I want to say thank you to our outstanding trustees, faculty, and staff for all that we have achieved together this year. College of the Redwoods is an outstanding institution because of them.

I also want to thank our alumni, donors and friends. Their dedicated support of our academic and student experiences help us inspire our students and produce graduates who are ready to contribute to our community and economy. I appreciate their generosity.

The end of our traditional academic year is just a week away. We have the opportunity to say goodbye to this year’s graduates and share in their ­excitement as new degree or certificate holders. Next week, CR will award 724 degrees and 215 Certificates of Achievement to our graduates in Eureka, Del Norte and Klamath-Trinity campuses and sites. They have overcome tremendous constraints to finish this semester and I could not be more proud of the Class of 2020. Although we cannot recognize them in a traditional in-person ceremony, we will honor them remotely in a video address to be released on June 2^nd.

Oftentimes, we forget to take a step back and appreciate all of the many good things that have transpired at CR throughout the year. This year our faculty continued to excel both inside and outside of the classroom. Our faculty inspired and astounded us with their ideas, discoveries, and impact as teachers and scholars. Anthropology Professor Dr. Justine Shaw was awarded the Portugal Award for her research and excavation work on the Maya. Her publications include Archaeology in Quintana Roo (with Jennifer Mathews), White Roads of the Yucatan: Changing Social Landscapes of the Lowland Maya, and The Maya of the Cochuah Region: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on the Northern Lowlands.  

Assistant Professor of Botany and Environmental Science Maria Morrow received grants from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to author an open-access botany lab manual and coauthor an open-access botany textbook and photographic atlas with faculty from Yuba College and Ventura College. English Associate Professor Jonathan Maiullo had a new edition of his book, Paper Mountains: An Armenian Diary (Expanded Edition) published. Paper Mountains is an account of Associate Professor Maiullo's experience teaching English in Armenia between 2008 and 2010. 

Our faculty received statewide recognition for their work on remedial and developmental education. Math Professor Amber Buntin was selected to participate in a Public Policy Institute of California study for the math department’s exemplary work in developmental education curriculum reform. English Professor Dr. Peter Blakemore’s article, Accelerating English Composition: A Communal Conscious Choice, describing our smooth implementation of AB 705 was featured in an issue of the Journal of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges.

Thanks to Nursing Director Roberta Farrar and the nursing faculty, our dream for a LVN to RN bridge program in Del Norte became a reality and our first cohort began in spring 2020.

Although the end of the academic year is a good time to look back, it’s also a good time to remember to keep looking forward, because all that we have done, together, will help create a world of good in the days to come.

Next year will be rich in innovation and discovery. I feel strongly that rather than asking whether today’s students are ready for college, we should ask ourselves if the CR is ready for the future. Business Professor Chris Gaines will lead the revision process for our education master plan that will include input from our community, businesses, and industry partners and will create the foundation for us to answer that question with a resounding “yes”.

I could not be prouder of the momentous accomplishments of our college community. I want you to know that the incredible achievements across every campus, site, and department have made this year more special and rewarding than I can adequately share.  I am honored to serve as president of this wonderful college community.

Truly, it is a special time to be at College of the Redwoods.