From: Doug Cattani <Doug.Cattani@umanitoba.ca>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2024 3:11 PM
To: Bev Godard <Bev.Godard@umanitoba.ca>
Subject: Vacation June 1-16, 2024

To the Department of Plant Science,

I will be away on vacation from June 1-16, 2024 and in my absence Dr. Claudio Stasolla will be Acting in my stead. Any urgent issue should be directed to him.

Also, I would like to thank everyone for their support earlier in the week. I greatly appreciate it, and regardless of the outcome it is a pleasure to work alongside all of you.

During the interview and consultation process, the path to strengthening our department via internal cooperation and collaboration was emphasized in all of the forums in which I participated. Whether I am successful or not, Plant Science and all that work in it have shown themselves to be a dedicated group of individuals working towards personal excellence. We are proud of our work and our contributions to the functioning of our Department and Faculty.

We have come out a period where isolation was enforced, but now we have the ability for greater interactions, and we need to take advantage of this. Our faculty, staff, graduate students, post doctoral fellows, research associates, technicians and summer students should be asking how we can help each other, to the best of our abilities, to reach our potential and how can we give to one another to ensure that our programs/goals/development can be achieved. This is not an invitation to take, but to give. Again, this means to allow individuals to have free access to others for advice, discussion and/or debate. If we can assist, within reason, or facilitate others in a short-term need and allow them to proceed in a timely manner, please help out.

Conversely, putting any limitations on interactions between any others in the department is detrimental to the spirit of collegiality and cooperation and cannot be condoned and will not be tolerated. Our mandate is to educate. To limit an individual’s ability to grow by withholding or limiting access to others that may possess expertise or provide advice that would enhance their performance is unconscionable. Our interactions have the potential to make us a stronger department and assist the individuals within and the department to reach our potential.

I look forward to working with everyone in the department, regardless of my status, and I hope that everyone will adopt the spirit of collegiality in all of our interactions.

Douglas Cattani

Acting Department Head,

Associate Professor, Perennial Crop Breeding

Department of Plant Science,

University of Manitoba

(204) 474-6071

Doug.Cattani@umanitoba.ca

The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. I respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and dedicate myself to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.