Taking Our Show On The Road

When I became dean two years ago, I felt strongly that a big part of my responsibility would be to listen to the ideas of students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders.

During the past two years we saw both gut-wrenching budget cuts and far-reaching planning. I find that listening is an invaluable strategy, but now we need to also spend time telling our story.

The process of identifying our key strengths and programs over the course of 18 months as we crafted our strategic plan has generated exciting initiatives for the future of our College. To mention just a few that have already begun, we’re exposing more veterinary students to career opportunities in biomedical research, emphasizing cross-disciplinary investigations with researchers outside our College, and forging new collaborations that will give us a greater presence in Chicago.

To help us get our stories out, many of the leaders serving on the state advisory committee (whose members were named in this column last summer) will be hosting a contingent from our College at events to be held in their region of Illinois.

For example, we’ll meet with Dr. Tom Greiner (Iowa State ’65), owner of Oak Knoll Animal Hospital and current president of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Greiner will invite local veterinary practitioners, state legislators, and others with an interest in how the College contributes to the state and the veterinary profession.

To effectively communicate the news of what goes on here, I intend to bring with me faculty members and students as well as College administrators. After all, the most important activities here happen in the classroom, the clinic, and the laboratory.

I am especially pleased that we’ll be able to involve students because they are enthusiastic and articulate ambassadors to the public. We are proud to have them represent the College at our exhibits at the state fairs, local schools, and professional meetings. Students sharpen their own leadership and networking skills when they are part of the team like this.

Yet as important as it is to raise awareness about College activities, listening continues to be crucial. I consider these gatherings equally valuable as opportunities for us to learn what others need and are doing. By paying attention to our many constituents, we can adjust and improve our efforts in veterinary education, in clinical and production medicine research, and in other realms. We may learn of ongoing activities that would be a good fit with our goals and resources.

Several of these gatherings with state advisory committee members and folks from their areas will be scheduled throughout this academic year. I look forward to the chance to promote our achievements and hear about the needs and activities of our constituents. I think our faculty and other leaders at the College will gain insight from interacting with members of key audiences. And I believe that as more decision makers in business, government, and the profession learn about the valuable work and important resources we provide, support will follow.

Whether or not you’ll be attending one of these regional gatherings, I want to encourage you to take advantage of an easy, electronic means of improving communications with the College of Veterinary Medicine. In April we instituted a monthly electronic newsletter. Anyone with an email account can subscribe by sending a note to vetnews@cvm.uiuc.edu. Check out the archives of past issues here: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/advancement/.

Each issue contains an update from me as well as news from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, a column on practice management, and links to practical resources for you and your clients. As always, I welcome your feedback. You can write to me at dean@cvm.uiuc.edu.