The beginning of the 2025-26 academic year is here and I hope you made the most of the summer season, whatever your plans for it might have been. I know many of our faculty members and students spent their summer months in the field and in the lab, locally and abroad, partnering on research that informs how to sustainably manage natural resources, adapt to a changing climate, develop and apply new technologies for resource management and use, and inform fair policies and practices. Our work never stops and it certainly doesn’t go unrecognized or without impact. 

As we start the new school year, we have some exciting developments on the horizon for SEFS. This fall, we are welcoming a new member of the teaching faculty, Dr. Benjamin Dittbrenner, who will be contributing to teaching and further developing the core and elective curriculum within our ESRM major, including undergraduate capstones. Dr. Dittbrenner joins us from Northeastern University where he was a teaching professor and director of their environmental science and policy MS program. Dr. Dittbrenner is a SEFS alumnus with experience in riparian and wetland systems. His interest in innovations in field- and project-based teaching, along with research and project experience on increasing ecosystem resilience to the effects of climate change on riparian systems, make him a great fit for the SEFS community. 

Please save the date for our annual Salmon BBQ taking place on October 7th in the Anderson Hall Courtyard. This is a great opportunity for SEFS alumni, students, faculty, staff and donors to kick off the school year, mingle and enjoy fresh salmon from our Yakama Nation friends, cooked right on site in the courtyard. Whether you come every year, or haven’t made it yet, I welcome you to stop by from 4 to 7pm and join us for food and community. 

We’re also eagerly anticipating reoccupying Anderson Hall in early 2026. The renovation is on schedule and much of the building’s interior finish work has been completed including interior paint, carpeting, tiling, and door installations. The glass and precast stone that compose Anderson Hall’s new south, main entrance were also finalized in recent weeks. You can expect regular updates from us on the status of the construction as we near 2026. We welcome visits from our community members and supporters once Anderson Hall is completed; stay tuned for opportunities to celebrate the completion of the project. 

As I write this message, we face some uncertainties and challenges as members of an academic community entering the 2025-26 academic year. As state budgets and federal policy and funding continue to evolve, we are working with university and college leadership to adapt. I am reassured that SEFS programs and people remain strong. It is a particularly challenging time for our international students and non-majority members of our community, and I encourage our continued support and compassion for each other over the coming quarter.

Dan Brown

School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Corkery Family Director’s Chair
Professor and Director