Visiting with alumni and friends like you at our CALS Dean’s Almost World-Famous Homecoming Burrito Breakfast is an annual highlight for me. Last year, my inaugural year braving our dunk tank, was especially memorable!

Homecoming this year will stand out from all others we’ve known. All university events will happen virtually, and that includes watching the Wildcats' victory over USC on Nov. 14. While we can't have our annual Burrito Breakfast in person, we have a plan to bring our party to you. Register here to join us at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, and compete in the CALS UA Trivia Showdown!

Dynamic Dr. Bobby Torres, professor and director of our Department of Agricultural Education, Technology & Innovation, will lead our high-energy game. Winners will take home fantastic prizes, including the chance to dunk me when our CALS family is able to safely gather together in person again!

Thursday, Nov. 12, marks the start of the University of Arizona's first Virtual Giving Day, and if you are able, please go here to donate to support scholarships for our CALS students. Your gift will directly impact deserving CALS students, including many “First Generation” students striving for better futures for themselves and their families. I know many of you are, like me, First Gen students. I know you understand what being First Gen means. You’re living the difference your hard-won degree made for you and your family. Can you imagine what it is like to be a First Gen Student in 2020? I can’t. But I see it daily.

Our Ag 100 Council Members pledged to match all gifts up to $10,000, so every dollar you give will not only go directly to a CALS student who needs your help, it will be doubled by this group’s generosity.

Thanks for all you do to keep our CALS family strong, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at our Homecoming from Home Trivia Showdown at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Shane C. Burgess

Vice President for Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension 

Charles-Sander Dean of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

From her first step on campus, Anna Jones wanted to grow her passion of environmental science and find a way to get involved in undergraduate research. Jones (BS Environmental Science '23) first learned about research by helping graduate students work on their theses. Now, she works in a lab that uses analytical and geochemical techniques to better understand issues like climate change, aiming to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Click to be inspired by Jones' journey!

CALS microbiology graduate student Farhan Anwar learned communications skills “through necessity” as a first-generation immigrant moving from place to place in his young life.

Already aware of the value of effective communication through his own experiences, Anwar was selected for the CALS Impact Leader professional development pilot program during the Spring 2020 semester. The program offered a cohort of 16 CALS graduate students an opportunity to hone communication, leadership, and teamwork skills through daylong workshops and one-on-one mentoring with professionals.

Click to read these student stories and learn about becoming a mentor!

In 1996, Gordon “Gordy” Erickson was, at age 40, a new senior vice president at Walmart, and his director asked him to recruit college students to intern at Walmart. The headquarters were in Bentonville, Ark., it was January, and the temperature was in the teens. He was not an alumnus of the University of Arizona, but, looking at the Walmart-approved list of universities, the University practically radiated warmth to him, and he enjoyed visiting Tucson, so the decision of where to recruit was easy. A decade later, when he retired from Home Depot and had worked with many CALS students, the decision to give back was also easy.

Click to learn why Gordy gives back!