With a cover spotlighting several milestones in the history of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, the Fall 2015 issue of Explorations, our magazine for alumni, donors and friends, invites readers to follow the events and programs of Rutgers 250 on the G.H. Cook Campus.

Other features include the ribbon-cutting for the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health; a report on the recent West Coast presentations of "Experience Rutgers" on climate change; developments in research and student initiatives; and the impact of international study. Alumni stories showcase former Secretary of Agriculture Art Brown (GSNB'77), landscape architect Andrea Cochran (CC'76), financial advisor Kate Sweeney (CC'79), and entomology professor Jessica Ware (GSNB'08). Donor profiles include the late Professor Roy DeBoer, Ken and Jenny Osterman, and the Johnson Family Chair in Water Resources and Watershed Ecology.

Explorations is being mailed to all SEBS alumni and donors, and it is available in interactive form and as a downloadable document on the Discovery website.

The 250th anniversary theme for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is "Exploring the Anthropocene: The Age of Us." It will be supported by a series of lectures by prominent authors and other unique programs and events between now and October 26, 2016. Up next in the series is a debate between the Rutgers University Debate Union and the Rutgers University-Newark Debate Team at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 7, 2015, at the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (light refreshments will be served at 6 p.m.). The topic will focus on New Jersey and climate change. Stay abreast of the year-long activities at the new Rutgers 250/Anthropocene website.

If you were visiting Facebook this past Tuesday (December 1), you no doubt saw announcements about Rutgers' first-ever "Day of Giving." Rutgers University Foundation, in cooperation with Rutgers University Alumni Association and student organizations on all campuses, joined together to propel the Day of Giving far past its goal of $500,000 in gifts. In fact, more than $1.1 million was raised in the 24-hour period from more than 5,800 donors, including alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends of the university. Well done!

December 7, 2015 - Anthropocene-themed student debate at 7 p.m. at the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, 61 Dudley Road on the G.H. Cook Campus.

December 22, 2015 - Student exams end and the winter break begins.

December 25, 2015 - University offices close for the winter break.

January 4, 2016 - University Offices reopen.