E-Insight

September 2005

Update from the Dean

Dear Friends,

We’re kicked off another busy academic year at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and September is proving to be an active month with a long list of activities and special events.

On Sept. 26-29, the University will host the 5 th Annual Diversity Conference. This conference is designed as an opportunity to develop and enhance cultural awareness, knowledge and skills. The theme of the 2005 Diversity Conference is access and opportunity. The four-day event features numerous guest speakers and will allow our faculty, staff, students and community members to participate as their schedules allow. For more information and a detailed schedule of events, you can visit the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity’s Web site at: www.colostate.edu/Depts/OEOD/.

On Sept. 29-30, the College will be hosting Lisa Greenhill from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). Ms. Greenhill is the coordinator for the AAVMC’s Di Versity Matters program that addresses diversity in the veterinary profession. We are looking forward to her visit and learning more about increasing the diversity of professionals in the field of veterinary medicine.

In September, many students and faculty also will be attending the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association’s convention in Keystone, Colorado. The College is sponsoring several alumni celebrations, including the Class of 1985 20 th Reunion, Class of 1965 40 th Reunion, and Class of 1960 45 th Reunion. The CVMA convention runs Sept. 10-14.

In development related activities, Sept. 30 will see the return of the 1870 Dinner to Colorado State University. This is an evening of appreciation for the many donors who support the work of the University. I’ll also be doing some traveling this month related to on-going development efforts in the College.

I’d like to encourage everyone to mark the date of Oct. 18th in their planning calendars. The College will be holding its Faculty/Staff meeting at 4:15 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel on Prospect Road. President Penley is scheduled to meet with us at that time to discuss the University Strategic Plan. As a reminder, you can still review and share comments on the complementary strategic plan for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences which you can view at http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/strategicplan/plan.pdf. You will be prompted to login with your COLOSTATE\name ID and associated password.

Finally, October 6-9 will see the University’s Homecoming and Family Weekend. We’ll hope for good weather because the three days are packed with activities. The College will host a reunion dinner and breakfast for the DVM Class of 1955’s 50 th Reunion and for the DVM Class of 1980’s 25 th Reunion. We look forward to seeing many of our alums at all the weekend activities. If you’d like to view a complete schedule, please visit www.homecoming.colostate.edu.

Before I sign off, I would like to send our heartfelt best wishes to all those who suffered the devastating blows of Hurricane Katrina. Here at the College, we are trying to help alleviate some of the suffering though we realize that the devastation was so great it will take the unified effort of the entire country to revitalize the region and help victims through the days, months and years ahead. I would like to let you know of three specific ways in which the College is helping.

Students in the Professional Veterinary Medical program are raising funds to be sent to national SCAVMA office. SCAVMA will send funds to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association to care for animals impacted by the disaster. Faculty members in the Department of Biomedical Sciences are exploring ways to provide laboratory space to scientists displaced by the storm. The AAVMC is establishing a disaster relief fund to which member institutions can apply for grants to cover damages and other financial losses resulting from national disasters. The colleges of veterinary medicine at Mississippi State University and Louisiana State University will likely be the first applicants for these funds.

We hope that each of you will reach out and help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in any way possible.

With Best Regards,

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