With the end of the semester nigh and the holiday season upon us, there is so much wonderful excitement circulating amongst our students and throughout the department.  Everyone is ready to close out the year and to celebrate the holidays.  With all of this excitement, it is refreshing to take stock of what the department has accomplished this year.

• Our department has continued its tradition of community-building events, holding a welcome-back barbecue for faculty, an Adjunct Town Hall, and a Welcome Reception for our new graduate students all in the month of September. These events provide important venues to communicate policy and needs, as well as to make visible all of the people that labor (which includes learning) to make the Department the great place that it is!
• We welcomed a new faculty member, Dr. Lydia Horne, to the department. Horne hails from the University of North Colorado and serves as a lecturer for the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program.
• Faculty turned out for Homecoming 2022 to welcome our alumni back to campus.
• Later in October, the Department offered an “Adjunct Appreciation Dinner” to underscore the importance of adjunct faculty, to build community, and to express appreciation for their instructional labor.
• The department continued the tradition of GIS Day, hosting an amazing speaker Dr. Florencia Sangermano (see nearby article by Dr. York). This important event showcased the many contributions of GIS to solving policy and environmental problems.  Look out for the continued development of this event in the years ahead!
• For the first time ever, the Department supported a “World Town Planning Day” organized by Dr. Meenar. This event highlighted the impact of Urban and Regional Planning and the importance of the profession.
• Our Department continued to build and promote pathways for students to earn innovative credentials quickly, including Combined Accelerated Degree Program pathways to our Masters of Urban and Regional Planning.
• Our enrollments soared this semester, with 1,607 students taking our courses. Such numbers give me great hope for the future!
• Our faculty kept the tradition of a Stress-Relief Holiday Potluck alive, and this year served food for our students in our historic Robinson Hall lounge!

There will be many activities in the spring semester, including our annual student awards ceremony and dinner which will be held on 20 April 2023 in the evening.  All alumni are welcomed back to this event, so please look out for an invitation. 

As always, I welcome your presence in our department and all of your many contributions.  Please let me know if I can be of assistance to you.  I’m happy to help.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Keenan, AICP
Associate Professor & Department Chairperson