Dear Friends,
At the Fall Faculty/Staff meeting held on Oct. 24, we discussed two exciting topics that I would like to revisit in this update. First, significant progress is being made in fundraising for the Veterinary Medical Center on the South Campus. Second, we are in the midst of planning for the College’s Centennial Celebration in 2007 and will have many exciting events that will occur during the yearlong festivities.
First, a progress report on development efforts for the South Campus. We now have a pledge of $12 million from Dr. Delbert Osguthorpe that will fund construction of the Agricultural Animal Medical Hospital. Dr. Osguthorpe, a 1943 graduate of the Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) veterinary program, has long been a supporter of the College, giving generously to enhance College scholarships and assist today’s PVM students. His incredible gift to the College reflects his devotion to veterinary medicine and to a life spent in veterinary practice.
We also received $3.5 million from the State of Colorado this year to begin architectural design work on the new Diagnostic Medicine Center. This is part of an overall commitment of $35 million from the state to build the new center and replace existing Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory facilities. With the unprecedented growth of the D-Lab -- a trend likely to continue in coming years -- this funding could not have come at a better time.
Most recently, we announced a gift of $1 million from Gene Jensen in honor of his late wife E. Myrl Halstead Jensen. This gift will go towards the addition of a new wing to the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital that will house second-year Professional Veterinary Medical students and expanded clinical space (see related article).
On Friday, Oct. 27, the University held its annual 1870 Club dinner to honor and recognize its benefactors. Of our many generous donors, those honored by name at the event were Pfizer Animal Health, represented by Steve Wilke, Area Sales Manager; the Limb Preservation Foundation, represented by Martha Simmons, Executive Director; Deborah Van Dyke King; and Dr. Osguthorpe. We are honored to count these individuals among our friends and thank them for their generous support of the College and its ambitious goals.
At the Faculty/Staff meeting, we also were treated to a sneak preview of the intriguing video produced to commemorate 100 years of excellence at the College. Debby Morehead, chair of the Centennial Planning Committee, gave us a look at what we can expect in the coming year for celebrations, and the committee distributed t-shirts with the “100 Years of Hope Care Cures” logo. (If you did not receive your t-shirt, contact the Development Office where they have additional supplies available.) The Centennial Planning Committee gave us an excellent presentation at the meeting, and we look forward to seeing what they have in store for the College. If you would like to keep track of the coming celebration, you can visit the 100 Years Web site at www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/development/100yearcelebration.cfm
Thanks to all who attended the Fall Faculty/Staff meeting and I look forward to keeping you up to date on all the exciting news coming from the College’s development and Centennial Celebration efforts.
Best Regards,
Lance Perryman, DVM, PhD
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
