A message from our dean
Dr. Dana Zimmel
Greetings,
As I write this, spring has sprung and we’re fast approaching summer. All of us here at the college are catching a breath between events and ongoing activities in our hospitals and laboratories. Adding to the excitement, we have great news to share!
On April 25, U.S. News & World Report released its new rankings of veterinary medical colleges nationwide, and the UF College of Veterinary Medicine has risen two spots to land at No. 7! This new designation also positions us as No. 5 among veterinary colleges at public universities.
Sharing the No. 7 spot with us are the colleges at the University of Georgia and the University of Wisconsin. The full rankings can be found here.
Although the national rankings are but one indicator of our success, they are extremely important as they acknowledge excellence across our missions of teaching, research, patient care and community outreach. The veterinary college rankings are released every four years and this last cycle encompassed the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. That we would not only survive this challenging period, but would thrive and forge ahead to accomplish so much is nothing short of amazing. Read more about some of the things we’re proud to have achieved in a story included in this issue.
In other news, our traditional college Open House returned this year on April 15 and was a huge success! Our last event was in 2019, and that four years felt like forever. Drs. Chris Sanchez and Michael Mison report that enthusiasm was high among the nearly 4,000 attendees who visited the college, which had its usual educational demonstrations and exhibits, as well as sessions on how to get into veterinary school. This event not only helps us show the public what we do here at the college and in our hospitals, it serves as a wonderful recruitment tool as well. Special thanks to Rachel DiSesa, our clinical programs coordinator, and to Harrison Warman, president of the Class of 2024, for spearheading the efforts.
The UFCVM Research and Phi Zeta celebration took place April 13-14. This event is always a great opportunity to showcase the very best of the biomedical and clinical research taking place here at the college. I want to congratulate all of the winners and participants and give kudos to Sara Rubinstein from our Office of Research and Graduate Studies for work in coordinating this very successful event.
On May 12, we will celebrate our sophomore students’ transition into clinics during the Class of 2025’s professional coating ceremony, to be held at the UF Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. This event marks the milestone of completion of the first two years of veterinary school and symbolizes the onset of the clinical phase of these students’ educational journey to become our veterinarians of the future. On May 27, commencement exercises for the Class of 2023 will be held, also at the UF Phillips Center. We are so very proud of our soon-to-be graduates and know they will enter the world to do great things as our veterinarians of the future.
It’s a time of year during which I think all of us are especially moved as we watch students we have come to know and greatly admire progress in their lives and educational goals as they move toward what we know will be rewarding, meaningful careers.
Thanks to everyone in our college community for all you do, every day, to make our college great.
Sincerely,
Dana
