Insight/Report on Private Giving

Spring 2005

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital That Almost Wasn’t

Dr. James Voss fought many battles during his career at Colorado State University, but none was so intense – or so necessary – as the one to build a new veterinary teaching hospital for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Voss began his career at Colorado State in 1958 as an instructor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, after graduating from the University with his DVM. During his tenure, Dr. Voss advanced through faculty positions, eventually serving as head of the Depart-met of Clinical Sciences. It was at that time that the need for a new veterinary teaching hospital was becoming acute.

The old hospital was located in the center of the main campus and offered little space for a burgeoning program. Laboratories could hardly support the number of students enrolled in the program, much less provide space for new equipment that was crowding the hall-ways. Electrical and plumbing systems were outdated and inadequate, and concerns over biosecurity were beginning to come to the surface. The University went to the State Legislature with a proposal in hand, and was roundly turned away. In the 1970s, the economy was in dire straits and the state could hardly afford to put money into a new hospital – this wasn’t a time for “luxury” spending.

With dogged determination, Dr. Voss and his colleagues at CSU motivated the agricultural and ranching communities, cultivated old friends, and sweet-talked recalcitrant politicians until eventually the state provided the funding necessary to make the hospital a reality. The hospital opened its doors in 1978 and began to build programs of excellence that continue to break ground today. These include programs in animal cancer, cardiac surgery and cardiology, orthopaedics, feline medicine, complementary medicine, critical care, exotic animal veterinary medicine, and more. In addition to work in veterinary medicine, the College’s programs in biomedical sciences exploded under the leadership of Dr. Voss, who took over as Dean of the College in 1986.

Dr. Voss’ legacy, created through 43 years of tireless work at Colorado State University, is seen in the laboratories of the Molecular and Radiological Biosciences Building, in the teams of research-ers working collaboratively in the newest fields of science, and in the faces of the many graduates who practice veterinary medicine and conduct research in the biomedical sciences. But mostly, his legacy is evident in the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, renamed in his honor in 2001 to pay homage to Dr. Voss’ legacy of diligence, pride and devotion to the College he proudly led for 15 years.