As I write this message for the fall issue of The Graduate School Magazine, I am reminded that fall is a season of transition, a period of laying the groundwork for a new and exciting future. Similarly, graduate education, both nationally and at UGA, is experiencing transformation in so many ways. In this issue, we meet UGA students and faculty who are on the forefront of this transformation, forging connections across disciplines and into the community with unimagined zeal and creativity. Their stories reflect the vision and leadership that is graduate education today.

I want to thank you for your continued support of graduate education at UGA. Your investments provide the foundation that allows graduate students the freedom to dream, to create and to emerge as innovative leaders ready to meet the rapidly changing challenges of tomorrow.

The Graduate School is also entering a time of transition. Dean Maureen Grasso retired on June 30, 2014 and the search for a new dean has begun. As Interim Dean, I am honored to lead this institution during this important transition and look forward to working with many of you as we continue to innovate and transform graduate education at UGA.