Dear Warner College Community, 

Spring offers natural moments for renewal and reflection, and across Warner College, this season provides meaningful opportunities to connect, many of which you’ll find highlighted in this month’s newsletter. 

Our NR Days series exemplifies that spirit, bringing our community together through events that reflect our shared passion, from research talks and student showcases to gatherings like CSU Day at The Gardens on Spring Creek. Don’t miss the College Council Pancake Breakfast, a longstanding tradition and a simple, fun, and meaningful way to connect with colleagues. 

I also want to emphasize how special this year’s College Awards process has been. The number and quality of nominations are remarkable and reflect a community that actively recognizes excellence in all its forms, as well as the daily contributions that positively impact the College and beyond. In environments like ours, where high performance is the norm, it’s easy to move from one success to the next without pausing to celebrate. The annual Awards Reception offers that opportunity. I really hope you can attend not only to celebrate this year’s awardees but also to support your colleagues and share in a collective moment of appreciation. 

I also want to highlight the Celebrate Undergraduate Research Symposium, which still needs additional faculty and staff judges for student posters. This is a great chance to step away from daily responsibilities and connect with students in a new way, seeing their curiosity, creativity, and effort firsthand. It’s a meaningful reminder of the impacts of our teaching and mentorship. Register to be a judge today!

With commencement just around the corner, we will soon celebrate our graduates at both the University ceremony, the graduate school ceremony, and our college recognition events, another great set of opportunities to reflect on the impact of our shared efforts and the resilience of our students. 

Taking time to show up for one another and our students, through events, recognition, and shared experiences, helps sustain the positivity and shared purpose that propel our community forward. 

Thank you for all you do, and I look forward to celebrating alongside many of you in the weeks ahead. 

Warm regards, 
Rich 

Rich Conant 
Interim Dean of Warner College of Natural Resources 

Kevin Bestgen, director of the Larval Fish Lab and senior scientist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, received the 2026 Western Division American Fisheries Society’s Award of Excellence, the organization’s most prestigious award. The award recognizes sustained professional excellence and mentorship, and is given to an AFS member who has made lasting contributions in the fisheries profession.

Abigail Whittaker, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, has been named a Critical Language Scholar, a program that provides intensive overseas language and cultural immersion for college students. Whittaker researches conflicts between people and carnivores and the scholarship will take her to East Africa to strengthen her foreign language skills.

David Otis, affiliate faculty in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, received the 2026 Douglas L. Gilbert Award for Professional Achievement in Wildlife Sciences from the Colorado chapter of The Wildlife Society. Undergraduates Aidan Hallsworth and Danielle Terry also received awards at the annual meeting.  

The Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity Showcase is less than two weeks away on Tuesday, April 21, and an additional 75 additional judges are still needed for research posters. Judging for research posters is scheduled between 9:30-11 a.m. (Green) and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Gold). Sign up to judge through the link above. 

Please complete performance evaluations for the 2025 calendar year as soon as possible through the Warner College Intranet Evaluation system. Evaluations for the 2026 calendar year will be moving into Workday.