E-Insight

March 2006

Update from the Dean's Office

Dear Friends,

It has been a busy month already and, as we look to the next several weeks, things show little sign of slowing down.

From March 10-14, I will be in Washington, D.C., for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) meeting. In my capacity as President-Elect, I chair the Strategic Planning Committee and will spend Saturday afternoon reviewing opportunities for the AAVMC to improve academic veterinary medicine in North America.

AAVMC members also will be using the meeting as an opportunity to engage our legislative representatives on issues of importance to veterinary medicine. This includes the Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act which we our encouraging our representatives to move forward through the House and Senate.

Drs. Sherry Stewart, Lori Kogan, Sandy Pitcaithly, Jeff Wilusz and Thom Hadley will be joining me in Washington. Drs. Stewart and Kogan will attend admissions-related sessions for academic officers and associate deans. Thom Hadley is serving on the committee that issues the annual AAVMC comparative data report. He is working to ensure that the data compiled meets the needs of member veterinary schools. Dr. Wilusz has been invited to describe our conjoint DVM/PhD program which has garnered national attention.

Also, regarding the AAVMC, work is starting in earnest on the AAVMC Foresight Project (see related story in this edition of E-Insight ). I'm pleased to announce that Dr. Ed Hoover has been asked to serve on the Scoping Committee, and will provide critical insight into the future of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences.

As I previously announced, Dr. Martin Fettman is retiring from the College in December, leaving his position as Associate Dean for the Professional Veterinary Medical Program. Dr. Fettman will be missed, but I'm pleased he will be replaced by the College's own Dr. Peter Hellyer who will assume Associate Dean duties July 1. You can read more about Dr. Hellyer and his plans for the PVM Program in this edition of E-Insight.

In April, there are three activities to note on your calendars. The Open House at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, and we anticipate a large crowd of visitors. For a complete schedule of events, visit the Open House Web page at www.csuvets.colostate.edu/openhouse. Our annual Scholarship and Awards brunch is scheduled for April 22. We have our spring faculty and staff meeting scheduled for April 25, 4:45 p.m., at the Fort Collins Hilton on Prospect Road.

Before I sign off, I would like to give special recognition to Dr. Lynn Leadbetter (DVM Class of 1943) and his daughter, Dr. Linda Leadbetter (DVM Class of 1973). In 2003, the Leadbetter family established the Dr. Lynn F. Leadbetter and Family Scholarship which awarded two scholarships annually to deserving PVM students. Last month, the good doctors made an additional $100,000 gift to the scholarship fund that will enable us to help even more students. (Read accompanying article in this edition of E-Insight ). We thank them for their generosity and for investing in our future veterinarians.

Lastly, next week, many of our faculty, staff and students will be heading off for Spring Break. I hope your time off is relaxing, and I wish you safe travels. We look forward to seeing everyone back on campus March 21.

Best Regards,

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