More than wood, brick, and mortar

All the stories in this issue are about connections. Through the years, many people have forged lasting ties with the College of Forestry. Some have been alumni, others have never, to our knowledge, set foot on our campus. Some have been friends, touched in some way by the knowledge and services we provide. Some have been scholars and teachers, practicing their various disciplines within our walls. Some have gone out to excel in the world of business.

Each of their ties to the College begins on a personal level--a smile and handshake from the Dean to a shy freshman, some newly developed wheat seeds from an Extension agent, a father who marched at Commencement in a cap and gown at age 72. And yet they are much more than personal, for they are, in a very real sense, the glue that holds the College together.

This College is more than the wood and brick now being raised in our new Laboratory. It's more than labs and classrooms and trees growing on our Research Forest. It is the relationships, the connections, the ties to people, that give the College its most authentic identity and its highest purpose. In these bonds are our history, our mission, and our future. We celebrate a few of our special connections in this issue.