E-Insight

September 2004

Update from the Dean's Office

Dear Friends,

I’d like to welcome everyone back to campus and to the 2004/2005 academic year. In the last two weeks, I’ve had the privilege of greeting our new class of Vet Start students, the Professional Veterinary Medical Program’s Class of 2008, and our new undergraduate students in the microbiology and environmental health degree programs. It’s been such a pleasure to meet so many of our new and returning students, and I am looking forward to what promises to be a productive and invigorating year together.

On Aug. 28, we also had a chance to get to know all our PVM students a little bit better at Vet Fest, an all-PVM picnic organized by SCAVMA, the student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The College’s department heads and I got to work the grill while our students enjoyed a tasty meal!

The chance to meet and mix with so many students was a nice break from the committee work I’ve been focusing on during the last several months. As some of you may recall, Dr. Hank Gardner and I are co-chairing the University’s Strategic Planning Committee for Discovery. We continue to meet and have made good progress. We have defined three strategic choices, we continue to define specific goals within the strategic choices, and we are developing metrics to measure progress. We are pleased to have Drs. John Belisle and Patrick Brennan working with us on the Discovery Team as their insights and contributions have been invaluable, especially in developing strategic choices and specific goals (see related article in this edition of E-Insight).

On September 11-15, we hope many of you will join us at the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association’s 2004 Convention in Steamboat Springs, Colo. During the leadership conference portion, I’ll be providing an overview of the need for veterinary services in under-served animal species and under-served areas, and will participate in a panel discussion on the topic. We will have many of our faculty members there conducting continuing education courses and, of course, many of our PVM students will be in attendance as well. In addition, we are very excited to participate in class reunions for the PVM Class of 1964 (40^th reunion) and the PVM Class of 1984 (20^th reunion) that will take place during the convention.

We also are looking forward to Homecoming and Family Weekend on October 2, when we will see many of our graduates return to Fort Collins and Colorado State University. The College is hosting a dinner for the PVM Class of 1954 (and older alumni) on Sept. 30, and will host these old friends at the Colorado State Rams football game on Saturday, Oct. 2. We will hold the 25-year reunion for the PVM Class of 1979 on Friday, Oct. 1, and hope many of you will join us for that. October will see two other special occasions for the College. On Oct. 22, we will induct new members into the College’s Glover Gallery. The ceremony is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m., with a reception to follow. And, on Oct. 29, the University holds its annual 1870 Club dinner to thank all those who have contributed so generously to the University and its program and scholarship funds during the past year.

A busy time lies ahead and I wish you all the best of luck as we embark on this new year.

Best Regards,

Lance Perryman, DVM, PhD
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences