The First 100 Days (Actually, it's Only Been 91)

I thought it would be useful to look back at the last three months to assess the progress we’ve made toward some of the goals I set out in my original dean’s message. Here goes, in no particular order:

• The selectives proposal was approved at the November 2012 faculty meeting, and we will soon announce the members of a selectives curriculum committee, which will be responsible for assisting in the implementation of our selectives curriculum. As a reminder, the proposal recommends supplementing our core curriculum by offering focused, one-week selective educational opportunities in semesters two through five for our veterinary medical students.
  
  
• We have made significant progress in the revitalization of our administrative structure. Kristi Thorson has been hired as our new associate dean for advancement and administration. We have 54 applicants for our associate dean for budget and finance position (CFO) with the goal of narrowing the field to five in December and filling the position in early 2013. Cathy George has been hired as program assistant to the dean on a permanent basis.
  
  
• We have significantly enhanced our pre-award grant support with the hiring of Jenny Dahlberg and Annette Regele, who both will assist Dale Bjorling in serving your research and grant support needs.
  
  
• We have tentative approval from campus to significantly enhance funding for the School of Veterinary Medicine with the goal of beginning to implement this proposal in the coming 2013-14 fiscal year.
  
  
• The Departments of Medical Sciences and Surgical Sciences have elected not to merge into a single department. Our next step will be to focus on enhancing the school's support of mentorship of junior faculty, improving our clinical education, and building upon our clinical research efforts through the creation of leadership positions targeting these efforts. This concept will be discussed at an upcoming faculty meeting.
  
  
• I have approved six new faculty searches/hires, including a tenure-track faculty position in food animal medicine, a tenure-track faculty position in ophthalmology, a tenure-track faculty position in medical oncology, a tenure-track/clinical-track faculty position in radiation oncology, a clinical-track faculty position in special species, and a tenure-track faculty position in neuro- and developmental toxicology.
  
  
• I would like to welcome William Stout to the facilities group.
  
  
• As part of advancement team restructuring, we are filling Kristi Thorson’s previous position with an employee at the UW Foundation who will be physically located at the school. This is in addition to Colin Nemeth, who continues as our lead development officer. Because of an agreement with the Foundation, this hiring structure will provide us with salary savings and will allow us to focus the position exclusively on fundraising activities. Other parts of Kristi’s previous position are being kept with Kristi and others on the SVM advancement team. The position description is available on the Foundation website. The deadline for applications is December 3, 2012, and we hope to interview and fill this position by early 2013.
  
  
• Once again, I failed to recognize one of our employees for his years of service. I’d like to acknowledge Yan Lu, who has committed more than 10 years to the school.
  
  
• Our website redesign is moving forward. The last week of November, we recorded seven videos that highlight various aspects of the school and hospital; they will be incorporated into the new website. We’ve also posted .pdf versions of nearly finalized designs for the home pages for the UW Veterinary Care and School of Veterinary Medicine websites to give you a glimpse of the look and layout. Our goal is to launch our new website as quickly as possible, but it likely won’t be live until early 2013.
  
  
• The Faculty Senate will vote on the campus HR Design proposal on December 5, 2012. If approved, the goal is to implement the HR Design by July 1, 2013. You can view the recently revised proposal online.
  
  
• The Winter 2012 issue of OnCall has gone out. Hard copies are available in stacks placed near the mailboxes. If you haven’t been able to get your hands on a hard copy, a .pdf version is available online.
  
  
• The school’s annual holiday gift cards are now available. For a suggested $10 donation per card, we’ll send a holiday greeting card to the recipient of your choice, including a message stating that a donation was made in their name. A limited edition poster signed and numbered by the artist is also available. All proceeds will benefit projects that improve animal health. Artwork for this year’s card and poster was donated by Marcia Sparks, a local artist who lives in Columbia County. You can see what the cards and the poster look like and download order forms on the holiday card web page. Order forms can also be found in displays located throughout the first and second floors of the building Veterinary Medicine Building.
  
  
• Thank you to students and staff who took some time out of their weekends to volunteer at the UW Veterinary Care/School of Veterinary Medicine booth at the Wisconsin Dog Fair on November 4. I appreciate your willingness to help clients, potential clients, and future students learn more about the school and hospital.
  
  
• Thank you as well to the students, faculty, and staff who volunteered at the Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Giving, which provides meals for people in need in the Madison area. This year, the SVM contingent sacrificed a few hours of their Thanksgiving Day to help with the cleanup shift after the meal.
  
  
• Being that it’s the end of the year, I know many of you are considering where to send your charitable giving. Keep in mind the School of Veterinary Medicine is a worthy cause, one that benefits both animal and human health. If you would like to donate to the school, I encourage you to learn more about giving opportunities on the school's giving web page.
  
  
• There’s been quite a bit of remodeling activity going on in the hospital in recent weeks. Last month I mentioned the installation of the refurbished fluoroscopy, which is now complete. In addition, the old ophthalmology operating scope and small animal radiograph machines (vintage 1980) are being replaced with newer, refurbished models. I want to gratefully acknowledge the donors who supported these upgrades, which help UW Veterinary Care stay true to the mantra of “always being at our best.”
  
  
• There are several conferences just around the corner, and if you’re attending, I encourage you to make your way to our alumni receptions. The American Association of Equine Practitioners alumni reception will be held on December 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marriott Anaheim (Grand Ballroom, Salon J) in Anaheim, California. The North American Veterinary Conference alumni reception will be held on January 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Orlando World Center Marriott (Washington Room) in Orlando, Florida. The Western Veterinary Conference alumni reception will be held February 18 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. (room TBD) in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’ll be at the NAVC and WVC receptions; I hope to see you there.
  
  
• I had the opportunity recently to tell the public about what’s going on at the school during a talk I gave for the Wednesday Nite @ the Lab series. If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the work happening all around the school, particularly in the realm of research, you can view a video recording of the talk online.

Dean Markel

Important Links

» UW SVM
» UW Veterinary Care
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Upcoming Events

SVM Get-Together
December 14, 2012
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Veterinary Medicine Building (Second Floor Lounge)

American Association of Equine Practitioners Alumni Reception December 3, 2012
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Marriott Anaheim (Grand Ballroom, Salon J)
Anaheim, Cal.

North American Veterinary Conference Alumni Reception
January 20, 2013
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Orlando World Center Marriott (Washington Room)
Orlando, Fla.

Western Veterinary Conference Alumni Reception
February 18, 2013
7:30 to 9:00 p.m. (Room TBD)
Las Vegas, Nev.