Spring brings commencement, alumni awards, new retail site

I am writing this article in the second week of April and I have to say it: Spring is arriving!! Seems like we will get well into the 60s this week. There, short, sweet and to the point. 

It has been one year already since we restarted the departmental newsletter which provides you with information about what is going on in the department and introducing to you some of our great students, staff and faculty. The spring semester is close to an end, which means that we are preparing for our commencement ceremony (Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m.). The Cambridge Dictionary says “commencement” means the beginning of something, not ending. In an academic context the commencement ceremony signifies students are starting their careers and the next phase of their lives.

In our department, the pinning ceremony for Veterinary Technology students will be on May 16. The following day we will see undergraduate students from Animal Science/Equine Science as well as graduate students walking across the stage in the Fargodome to receive their diplomas. Congratulations to all graduates and their families, teachers and advisers.

In this issue we have articles that inform you about the many different activities that our students, staff and faculty have worked on in the last few months. Mr. Steven “Skip” Anderson and our sheep unit are featured in this issue. Students’ academic and team accomplishments are also highlighted, and adding to this are articles about Little “I,” ASGSO and others. 

Recently, the NDSU Foundation announced the 2025 NDSU Foundation Alumni Award recipients. These outstanding North Dakota State University alumni and partners will be honored for their accomplishments and contributions at the “Evening of Distinction,” to be held on April 24. It is with great pleasure that I inform you that Dr. Kelly Swanson ’97 was the recipient of the Henry L. Bolley Achievement Award. Presently, he is the director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences and professor of nutrition and nutrigenomics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In addition to a B.S. in animal and range sciences from NDSU, he holds both an M.S. and Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Congratulations Dr. Swanson!

Finally, last month we opened our Meat Science facility at the Peltier Complex. It is state-of-the-art and it was possible thanks to the generosity of many donors. It will support our research, outreach and teaching/training programs. We also opened our retail store, conveniently located by the atrium (next to the front door on the east side of the complex). Several undergraduate students are gaining retail experience offering various meat products. So far it has been a great success! Hope you can stop by and see for yourself the variety of products we have to offer.

This is it for now. Enjoy the rest of the spring and have a wonderful summer. See you around.

Best regards,

Guillermo