Dear CNAS Community,

All summer long, I have been eagerly waiting for the school year to start. The excitement of having campus bustling with activity, buildings filled with friendly faces, and lecture halls packed with eager students ready to learn, has finally arrived! 

As Dean of the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome all of you to the 2022 academic year! Whether you are a student, faculty member, or staff, we’re about to embark on a journey for all of us to gather, celebrate, learn, and grow together.

• For fall quarter, CNAS has a total enrollment of 7,305 students. Of that, we welcome 1,730 first-year students, 240 new transfer students, and 203 new graduate students. 
• CNAS welcomes seven new faculty members who bring an infusion of energy, experiences, and expertise in the fields of chemistry, mathematics, physics and astronomy, and statistics.
• More than 300 CNAS staff from all corners of the college — agricultural fields, labs, and offices — are here to support our community. To get to know our staff, visit the CNAS staff page or each department's staff page.

You all should be proud to know that CNAS continues to rank among the top programs across the nation:

• Top 1% for Most Popular Colleges for Mathematics. (College Factual, 2022)
• 4th for Highest Paid Bachelor’s Degree General Physics Graduates in California. (College Factual, 2022)
• Among the Top 4% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Plant and Animal Science. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023) 
• Among the Top 9% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Chemistry. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
• 10th for Most Popular Colleges for Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology. (College Factual, 2022)
• Among the top 13% of all ranked world universities for life sciences — and in the top 16% for physical sciences. (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2022)
• In the Top 14% of Best Colleges for Biology in America. (Niche College Rankings, 2023)
• Among the Top 18% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Environment/Ecology. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
• Among the Top 21% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Materials Science. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
• Among the Top 21% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Physics. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
• Among the Top 23% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Geosciences. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)
• Among the Top 24% for Best Global Universities Subject Rankings in Physical Chemistry. (U.S. News & World Report, 2023)

For our students, the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences offers a variety of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students to aid your success. Applications for CNAS scholarships are being accepted starting October 1 through October 31.  

Thinking about coming back to campus after these COVID-influenced years also has me thinking about what’s important for the College moving forward: 

• The Science of Sustainability: How can the sciences inform our communities and improve our environment?
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: How can we better enhance our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to reflect the communities we serve?
• Graduate Programs: How can CNAS better support students in our Ph.D. graduate programs?

One more thing… I had the opportunity to meet many of our first-year students at last week’s CNAS New Student Welcomes — what a pleasure to get to know some of our newest members of the CNAS community!  At each of the CNAS New Student Welcomes, I gave a homework assignment for each student to introduce themselves to at least three other students that day. Energized by the response, I’m now extending that homework assignment to all CNAS students, faculty, and staff. Let’s start Week One by introducing yourself to three new people on campus and know that there’s nothing that the CNAS community can’t accomplish together.

Stay well, stay healthy, and see you around campus!
 

Kathryn Uhrich
Dean, College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences