E-Insight

May 2005

Update from the Dean’s Office

Dear Friends,

Greetings and welcome to the May edition of E-Insight. It just doesn’t seem possible that we are at the end of another academic year. I’d first like to recognize and congratulate all our 2005 graduates, including our graduate students, Professional Veterinary Medical Program students, and our undergraduate students in Environmental Health and Microbiology.

With dedication, persistence and hard work you have achieved your goals and we at the College are so proud of you. Enjoy this time of celebration with your families and friends, but I ask you to please do so safely. You are now alumni of the College and we’d like to keep you around for many years to come. You’ll find more about our upcoming graduation ceremonies in this edition of E-Insight.

I’d also like to recognize the remarkable achievements of the undergraduate participants in the Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity Showcase and the Freshman Scholars Program in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences. At the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, our undergraduate students have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in cutting edge research in some of the world’s leading scientific laboratories. Thanks to faculty mentors and their own intense desires to create new knowledge, these students are participating in research projects that normally would not be found within the undergraduate realm. Their success is remarkable especially when one examines the extremely difficult nature of the research work in which they are participating.

And, while I am recognizing remarkable achievements, I’d like to congratulate our own Patrick Brennan, a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology. On April 18, Dr. Brennan competed in the Boston Marathon and completed the race with a time of 4:57:43. Dr. Brennan, of course, is one of our lead researchers in the Mycobacterium Research Laboratory who obviously appreciates the importance of healthy lungs.

Other highlights in E-Insight this month include the dedication of the Equine Reproduction Laboratory at the Foothills Research Campus. Once again, private support has helped us to enhance our facilities to create further excellence in teaching, research and outreach programs. I’d like to thank the Walton Family Foundation for their generous contribution to the College’s equine programs.

You’ll also read about the College’s new Pet Hospice program, staffed with our wonderful student volunteers; and also about the Exceptional Equestrians program, again successful because of student volunteers.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of the school year – with any luck, things may warm up and the snow may actually stay away until next winter. Enjoy your summer break in good health and, for those returning to us next year, we’ll see you in the fall.

With Best Regards,

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