Welcome from Dean Jonathan Levine
Since its founding, the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) has been a leader in educating the next generation, creating research breakthroughs and innovations, delivering unparalleled veterinary care, and serving our community and the world. The SVM’s most recent strategic plan capitalized on our long-standing record of success, and during the plan’s lifespan we:
- Built and opened SVM North
- Began work on our new DVM curriculum to launch in fall 2025
- Evolved and adapted as we fought a global pandemic
- Expanded our outreach programs
As we look toward what comes next, it’s vital that through our upcoming strategic planning process that we harness our innovative spirit and focus on how to best advance and enhance our mission. We’ll work to generate ideas and initiatives that ‘move the needle.’ We’ll seek out actionable initiatives that lead to meaningful positive impact. We’ll evaluate and look to improve our workplace, our community, the veterinary medical profession and the world around us.
I’m looking forward to working with our entire SVM community as we embark on this exciting next chapter.
On, Wisconsin!
Process
The process began in early January with three appreciative inquiry summits, which were open to all members of the SVM community. The goal of the summits was to share and gather input to help us better understand the current state of the School and where community members believe investments should be made and attention should be paid.
Following the summits and using the information generated as a foundation, five small strategy teams will be formed – one for each of the strategic priority areas and chaired by one or two leaders in that area. The teams will work with a consultant from the Office of Strategic Consulting to brainstorm, ideate, build, and refine the strategic priority as well as the necessary objectives and key results (metrics) to move it forward. The strategy teams will meet individually and as a full group throughout the process to ensure areas of focus are complementary and non-duplicative.
Once the full strategic plan is drafted, members of the SVM community – both internal and external – will be invited to provide feedback, which will be crucial to finalizing our next strategic plan.
Timeline
The strategic planning process will occur from January through July 2025 and will be structured around five strategic priority areas:
- Student Learning
- Patient Care
- Research & Innovation
- Organizational Health
- Outreach
Have a question or feedback?
The involvement and input of the full SVM community is one of the most important aspects of strategic planning. Opportunities to participate will be thoughtfully included throughout this process. While we intend this webpage to be a valuable source of information and a central hub for updates, if you have thoughts or questions you’d like to share please email us.
News
Whether you were able to attend one of the summits on January 14-15, we invite you to check our Summit Follow Up page for suggested next steps and to provide input. Your voice matters!