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A message from our interim dean

Dr. Dana Zimmel

Greetings, all,

I think it’s a safe bet that this is not a summer like any of us have been through, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re going, and celebrate the good things that have taken place – because they have, and they will continue to, because of your efforts.

Since my last message in the May issue, we have bid goodbye and wished good luck to the Class of 2020, our newest DVM alumni, as well as to our spring M.S. and Ph.D. graduates, in commencement ceremonies conducted virtually for the first time in the college’s history. We have acclimated to a new normal of mask-wearing and physical distancing, and have participated as a college in the UF’s Test, Trace and Protect program, ensuring that all of our faculty, staff and students can soon be brought safely back to campus.

The killing of George Floyd impacted our college as well as the university, the state and the nation, in ways we could never have predicted, forcing us to confront racism and implicit bias individually as well as institutionally. Our college, along with many others on campus and UF President Kent Fuchs, issued a statement standing against racism, but we didn’t stop there. Since early June, college leadership and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee have worked together to devise a meaningful action plan in which we can all participate, at whatever level we are able to, to better educate ourselves about racism’s history and impact. The university is developing a plan that our plan will closely mirror, and I look forward to providing that information to you in the coming days and weeks.

The junior students started clinics on July 13^th and they are learning how to practice veterinary medicine under the restrictions of COVID-19. The fall semester will feature all large didactic courses to be delivered in a virtual format and all laboratory sessions to be divided into groups of 50 people or less. This curriculum modification was made to minimize risk of the spread of COVID-19 and keep our students on track to meet their education goals. Our faculty have worked hard over the summer months to optimize the learning environment and improve instructional design. We have also made adjustments to ensure co-curricular activities such as student clubs and workshops can continue to provide the extra hands-on experiences that is a vital part of our educational program.

Change can be hard, but as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We can, and we will, build a stronger college as we begin to grasp the power of breaking down walls to truly be a more diverse and inclusive home to our students, faculty, house officers and staff, as well as to our future applicants and our alumni. We can, and we will, do better.

Go Gators!
Dana