Rich April   The past few of years have been different, but interesting and enlightening. Being Director of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has basically been another full-time job, even though I'm told it's only a half-time commitment. However, I've enjoyed learning more about how the University works and how business is conducted in other departments. And after two and a half years of this, I've come to appreciate just what a special place Colgate is! The faculty are incredibly bright and hard working, they are recognized internationally for their expertise and scholarship, and they truly love to teach. They also can conduct quality research with the best of them and fully engage Colgate students in these endeavors. Geology is still one of the most highly regarded undergraduate programs in the United States, and this reputation comes to us mainly because our graduates - you, the alumni - have done so well when you leave Lathrop Hall to enter the world of business, industry, government and academe. I still teach mineralogy and geochemistry, but in recent years I've taught some new courses including an introductory environmental science course, environmental economic geology and a first year seminar called geology outdoors. I've been teaching less because of the administrative stuff that I'm responsible for, but I plan to eventually return to full-time teaching in the near future. Di Keller and I have been working on a mineralogy web page over the past year, and even though it is not yet complete, it seems to be an asset to students in Mins. We'll continue revising and refining the page this year, and I hope you get a chance to take a look at it (especially if you want to review your mineralogy, because after so many years away you must be a little rusty telling apart CPX from OPX!!!!). My research continues to focus on acid rain and air pollution and the effects of these on forested ecosystems. I'm currently involved in a couple of multi-year, multidisciplinary project in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire with scientists from both the east and west coasts that attempts to better characterize the processes involved in forest growth, forest decline, and nutrient cycling. It's fascinating work and some of the results have recently been published in GSA Bulletin and Biogeochemistry. As always, I continue to enjoy working on projects that cross disciplines and break the bounds of traditional, disciplinary science. I am particularly fond, too, of any research that includes a bit of down-and-dirty pit digging and soil and clay mineralogy! So, hello to everyone reading this. It's hard to believe that more than 500 of you have passed through Mineralogy 201 since I've been at Colgate. If geology has been buried in the deep recesses and cobwebs of your mind for some years now, do yourself a good turn. Next time you are at the beach, pick up a handful of sand, look for those beautiful little clear quartz and pink feldspar grains and remember David McCord's words... "a handful of sand is an anthology of the universe." Best wishes to you all.