The Vantage Point

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 

Spring, that season of regrowth and renewal, is bringing fresh beginnings for UC ANR and two of its most valued leaders, Associate Vice President Wendy Powers and Vice Provost of Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs Mark Bell. This week, they made a joint announcement that Mark will return to the international work that he’s so passionate about, while Wendy will become the new dean of Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences.

Their contributions in rebuilding and reinforcing UC ANR’s robust network of academics and programs are too numerous to count, and I am deeply thankful for all of their work – and for their warm collegiality and friendship. I speak for everyone at UC ANR in wishing Wendy and Mark all the best as they begin their new adventures in the coming months. Over the next few weeks, the leadership team will design a plan to handle duties during the transition and will share those plans as they develop.

UC ANR is continuing to write an exciting new chapter, as well. We recently released 16 more UC Cooperative Extension specialist positions for recruitment over the next 12 months; to date, 106 UCCE specialist and advisor positions have been released in the last year, as a result of the 2021-22 budget increase. Notably, UCCE specialists will be placed at UC Irvine and UCLA for the first time, joining the six UC campuses that already have such productive partnerships.

This infusion of talent is truly a reason for optimism and hope, and my spirits were further buoyed last week by a visit to Sacramento for UC ANR Advocacy Day – when our academics, staff and volunteers met with lawmakers and their staffs to provide updates on our work. We thanked them for their support that enables us to deliver the science-based solutions and educational outreach that improve the lives of Californians. 

The economy and climate crisis remain pressing issues, however, so we urged our elected representatives to invest in UC initiatives that promote climate action and resiliency and workforce development, including innovation centers that advance research, entrepreneurship and job training. We also encouraged legislators to fund critical upgrades to our Research and Extension Centers and Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center.

We appreciated our time with Senator John Laird, Assembly Members Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Devon Mathis, and staff members in many legislative offices. Those who already knew of our impact across the state were tremendously complimentary, and those who did not were enormously curious to learn more. We extended an invitation for all legislators and their staffs to see, firsthand, our teams at work in their districts – and we look forward to hosting them soon.

Finally, a special shout-out to UC Master Gardener volunteer Clio Tarazi and 4-H youth ambassadors Megan and Sara, who joined us during UC ANR Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. Their enthusiastic spirit of service is shared by all of our volunteers across UC ANR. As National Volunteer Month wraps up, we offer one more heartfelt THANK YOU to those 14,600 volunteers who give their time, energy and expertise so generously to our programs and communities.