Message from the Dean

I am delighted to report that 2021-22 was our best year ever for research and philanthropic totals for the school. Our research grants reached $89 million, and our funding from philanthropy reached $61.7 million. In addition, our student support endowment crossed the $100 million threshold, which means that we can provide nearly $4 million this year in philanthropic student support, along with our approximately $4 million in institutional support.

Reaching these new heights is a testament to the entire School of Veterinary Medicine community: those who work tirelessly to improve animal, human and environmental health—and the research funders and donors who put their trust in them. These dollars translate into new treatments, student and resident support, increased patient capacity, research breakthroughs, and other advancements to the school and veterinary field. It’s only fitting that our cover story highlights the research being led by faculty members in our six academic departments. Most people who interact with the school probably aren’t even aware of these departments, but they are foundational to our success. They are incubators for innovation—they nurture researchers while facilitating collaboration across the university and beyond. I hope you’ll be inspired by the examples we’ve highlighted—they reflect the new possibilities of scientific discovery and the increasing overlap of animal and human health.

On the left of this page, you can see two of our new students from the Class of 2026 at their white coat ceremony. I wish we could bottle up and capture their excitement, enthusiasm and sincere interest in helping to make this a better world. We are committed to our students in so many ways including their education, health and wellbeing, and future success. A big part of that commitment is working to keep their education affordable and their debt low. By doing this, our graduates are free to follow their unique career paths and passions. As you’ll read in our article on the topic, the donors who support these students are changing lives and advancing the profession itself, by encouraging the next generation of veterinarians.

I’ve been at the school for almost exactly a year, and I can’t believe how rewarding it has been to meet so many of you. Thank you for being part of our community and for helping us reach new heights.