Geoscientists use the record of Earth’s past stored in its rocks, sediments, and ice to understand its present and future, a mission that is now critical given the still incompletely understood future effects of climate change. Each day, the classrooms and labs in our small, but highly ranked, department are filled with students who are becoming our next generation of geoscientists and scientifically literate citizens. Donations to our newly-named Terra Fund will help pay for field, laboratory, and conference-related student expenses that are critical to our research and educational mission.