Greetings, Warner Colleagues –  

As we near the end of the semester, there is much to celebrate together. From another successful NR Days to impressive awards, achievements, and milestones across the College, the highlights in this digest reflect the dedication and excellence that define Warner College. 

This spring has also been a season of reflection as we position ourselves for a bold future. We are aligning Warner College’s goals and vision with the new CSU Strategic Roadmap 2035, which sets an ambitious course for CSU to become the nation’s premier land-grant institution over the next decade. Building on momentum from previous University planning efforts, this new roadmap provides an exciting opportunity to refine and focus our College strategic plan, New Heights of Impact, ensuring we are fully aligned with University and System priorities. 

To guide this work, I have been meeting with College leadership and faculty to refine a shared vision for Warner College that embraces our institutional strengths while adapting to the evolving needs of our disciplines and society. This vision will inform a new Warner College Strategic Roadmap, directing our strategic actions to realize our ambitious vision.  

Faculty and staff focus groups - several of which have already taken place - are playing a key role in shaping this vision, alongside guidance from the College Leadership Team. We look forward to sharing a draft early in the Fall semester for your review and feedback as we shape Warner College's future together. 

At the same time, I am working closely with Senior Business Officer Barb Gustison to strengthen the capacity of our financial services team. We have made important progress this semester: a staffing plan to rebuild and enhance the office is nearly complete, and we are implementing an operations plan focused on increasing efficiencies and better serving the College community. This work will ensure we have strong support structures to elevate our work and fulfill our future ambitions.  

I invite you all to stay engaged as we proceed. While we face challenges, we have even greater opportunities to lead through our strengths in transdisciplinary research, high-impact teaching, and engagement that make a positive difference in the world. At a time when environmental and natural resource issues demand bold action and innovative solutions, there has never been a more vital role for Warner College to play. I am confident that we will chart a strong and inspiring path forward. 

Thank you for your hard work, resilience, and commitment this semester. I look forward to celebrating with you at our End of Semester Celebration, where we will announce the Dean’s Transdisciplinary Grants for Addressing Wicked Environmental Issues winners and honor everything we have achieved together. 

Enjoy a well-earned and restorative break - you have truly earned it. 

Congratulations to the Warner College award winners, who were honored at the annual All College Awards Reception on Wednesday, April 23. Below is a full list of all of the winners and a Flickr photo gallery from the event.

Alexandra Brown, undergraduate student in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, is one of three CSU students to have been recognized by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, which honors and supports top students across the country pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM fields.

CSU's President’s Sustainability Commission honored Jamie Dahl, assistant professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, at the Sustainability Milestones & Recognition Celebration for her contributions to campus sustainability. Dahl was specifically recognized for the Communications for Conservation Certification celebrating its 5th year. 

The first bumble bees of the 2025 have been found! Congratulations to Izzy Rodelius for finding the first Bombus in Larimer County. She didn't  know that the contest was happening and just happened to send her picture of a Bombus huntii queen she saw at Warren Lake to another graduate student! Rodelius is a GDPE master’s student in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. The first campus bee, a Bombus occidentalis (pictured here), was found by Megan Fenner, an undergraduate student in the Department of Zoology. Fenner has worked in the Mola Lab for a year and will be continuing to a master's degree focused on bumble bees at the University of Oregon. Learn more about the annual bee contest and the Mola Lab below. 

CSU is transitioning to an All University Commencement in May and offering individual recognition ceremonies for academic departments to celebrate their students with families and loved ones. Volunteers will be critical to help make this effort a success. If you are interested in volunteering at the All University Commencement, please fill out the form at the link below.  

Note: This form is intended for faculty and staff interested in supporting the All University Commencement OR other College’s individual recognition ceremonies. You do not need to fill out this form if you are supporting one of Warner College’s recognition ceremonies with your department. 

Dale Hein, Warner College of Natural Resources professor emeritus passed away on February 21, 2025. Hein retired from Colorado State University in 1999 after 34 years of teaching. Everyone who knew Dale is invited to his celebration of life on Saturday, June 7 at 4 p.m. in the Lory Student Center’s Longs Peak Room

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The mission of Warner College's International Affairs Committee is to celebrate the international diversity of the college, and build connections, learning, and engagement with our international community among students, staff, and faculty. Learn more about the IAC by visiting their website. 

Colorado State University researchers now have access to a rare, state-of-the-art instrument that can analyze the chemical makeup of just about anything in a few minutes. Thanks to the generosity of CSU Professor Emeritus Malcolm McCallum and other donors including John and Dolores Goodier, the Warner College of Natural Resources’ Geosciences Department has acquired and installed a JEOL JXAiHP200 field emission electron probe microanalyzer – known as the Hyper Probe – and will offer its high-quality analytical services to students and researchers at Colorado State University and beyond.

The Colorado Natural Heritage Program relies on partnerships to inform and guide the protection of Colorado’s native plant and animal species and their ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. CNHP recently partnered with several organizations, including the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, on a project focused on the benefits of safeguarding private working land and how data can be used to support conservation planning and decision making. 

Citizen science platforms like iNaturalist and Cool Boulder allow us to document bees and other pollinators in our neighborhood using the app, contributing to knowledge about their local species. Wouldn’t it be great to know that you’re helping these tiny neighbors promote a healthier ecosystem for our community? Incorporating community science into a fun activity for you and your friends can help to accomplish this. Read more in this OpEd piece in the Boulder Daily Camera, written by Sean Geer, former CitSci intern and current CSU Conservation Leadership Program graduate student. 

The Office of the Vice President for Research and the Research Acceleration Office are excited to announce a new institutional subscription to Clarivate’s Pivot-RP, a database of funding opportunities for all disciplines and project types. This tool replaces the previous SPIN funding database. 

Pivot-RP’s web-based suite of tools is designed to support researchers in funding discovery, dissemination, and collaboration. Pivot-RP will allow you to find, share, and track new matching funding and partnership opportunities based on specific criteria and your customizable faculty profile. 

More information about this helpful tool can be found below. 

The Institute for Learning and Teaching Summer Conference will be held May 21 and 22. This year’s theme is Engaging Students through Universal Design for Learning. UDL is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Lillian Nave is the keynote speaker and is the Faculty and Educational Development Specialist for Appalachian State’s Hickory campus in North Carolina.

You are receiving this Warner College digest because you are a member of the College community. If you would like to submit an update, announcement, or kudos for consideration, submissions are due by the last Monday of each month for inclusion in the following month’s digest. Please submit ideas to Director of Communications and Strategy, Rob Novak.