E-Insight

June 2005

Update from the Dean’s Office

Dear Friends,

Though it’s June and life should be a bit quieter on campus, here at the College we are abuzz with activity thanks in large part to the announcement June 1 that Colorado State University has received a four-year, $40 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to establish a training and research Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The success of this grant application was due to the hard work of so many individuals, including Dr. Barry Beaty, lead investigator, and the 20-year plus investment of people and resources into the College’s Infectious Diseases Program, a University Program of Research and Scholarly Excellence. The Rocky Mountain RCE will expand the University’s world-recognized work in infectious diseases and biodefense, and address a national need for increased capacity to develop new vaccines, diagnostics and medicines for infectious diseases.

I want to congratulate everyone involved with this exciting project. I know the time, effort and energy put forth to develop this comprehensive grant application, and I am very proud that your work has been recognized by our federal agencies as critical to biodefense and infectious diseases research. (To learn more, please see the article on the Rocky Mountain RCE in this edition of E-Insight.)

Another research grant I want to mention is the $1 million grant awarded to the Flint Animal Cancer Center. We don’t want to overlook the importance of this grant as it will help to establish a new graduate program in cancer biology, a very exciting development that will train the next generation of veterinary cancer researchers. Please read the accompanying article to learn more about this innovative program.

In other news, I’m pleased to announce that the University will finalize the executive summary of the University Strategic Plan later this month, after which it will be posted to the CSU Web site. I have prepared a draft of the College strategic plan and we will post it to our Web site so that faculty, staff and students can review both plans and provide feedback. When that site is ready, we’ll be sending out an e-mail message with pertinent details. Also, departments and units will be working on strategic plans through this summer and fall, with the process to be completed by November.

On the national front, on May 20 I had the opportunity to attend a joint meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. One of many topics discussed was the workforce expansion act. Sen. Wayne Allard introduced the legislation as Senate Bill 914 and Rep. Charles Pickering of Mississippi introduced the bill in the House as HR 2206. Deans of veterinary schools across the country are in the process of obtaining as many co-sponsors as possible to help guarantee success of the legislation. In Colorado, Sen. Ken Salazar has agreed to co-sponsor and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave has received a request to be a co-sponsor for this important legislation. I have contacted the offices of the six additional Representatives from Colorado to encourage them to co-sponsor the bill as well.

This legislation, if authorized and funded, would provide a source of funds to which existing colleges of veterinary medicine could submit competitive applications for enhancing facilities to increase their ability to educate veterinarians committed to public practice. If we have the opportunity to compete and are successful with applications to this fund, it would help us with the South Campus development plan.

Finally, on May 27, I visited the Rocky Ford Diagnostic Laboratory and want to thank everyone there for their hospitality. In June, I’ll be attending the WICHE veterinary advisory meeting as well as the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association Convention.

On another congratulatory note, I’d like to close by again recognizing the Class of 2005. Commencement ceremonies in May were poignant and joyous celebrations that sent forth our graduates with good tidings. I wish them all the best of luck and, to everyone else, I hope your summer travels are safe and I look forward to seeing you in August.

With Best Regards,

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