A message from our dean

Greetings!

As we enter the new academic year, all of us feel the positive energy associated with new and returning students. It’s palpable!

I’d like to give a warm welcome to the Class of 2028, our newest D.V.M. class. These 150 new students went through orientation on Aug. 6, with classes following the next week. We held our traditional Student Club and Family Day, an opportunity for new students and their guests to talk to our student club representatives about their areas of interest and for the clubs to encourage involvement on the part of the new class. Over 300 people attended, with 35 student organizations and three others represented. We also held our usual information session for families, along with tours of our facilities. As usual, it was an exciting and fun event.

Here’s a bit of information about the Class of 2028. The class includes students from 22 different states, including Alaska, as well as Puerto Rico, Canada, and South Africa. The states most represented, outside of Florida, are New Jersey and New York. The average age of our class members is 24, with ages ranging from 21 to 42 at the start of veterinary school.

Our new class consists of 128 women and 22 men, with an average GPR of 3.73. Eleven of our new students hold graduate degrees. What an amazing group!

In addition, 22 new on-campus graduate students have joined us at UFCVM and we’re so happy to have them here. That group includes 10 students pursuing a Ph.D. in Veterinary Medical Sciences, 10 pursuing an M.S. in Veterinary Medical Sciences, and two pursuing a master’s in Preventive Veterinary Medicine. We also welcome our many new distance education/online master’s students, who are enrolled in programs including forensic toxicology, shelter medicine and veterinary forensic sciences.

In addition, congratulations to our summer graduates, who completed their programs and received their degrees during campus commencement exercises earlier this month. From our on-campus/traditional program, this group includes four students who received Ph.D.s, three who received M.S. degrees and one who received a master’s in preventive veterinary medicine.

From our distance education/online program, we had seven students who received M.S. degrees in forensic toxicology, eight who received M.S. degrees in shelter medicine, and 19 who received M.S. degrees in veterinary forensic sciences.

I’d also like to welcome (and welcome back) all of our 117 house officers. This group, including residents who have advanced in their programs along with our incoming residents and interns, includes 24 interns, 90 residents, and three fellows. Six of our residents are also pursuing master’s degrees.

In other college news, we recently announced the appointment of Dr. Clay Mathews as chair of our Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, effective Sept. 1. Dr. Mathews will be a great addition to our leadership team and will replace Dr. Julie Moore in this important role. Dr. Moore will remain in the department and plans to return to her research full-time. I’d like to thank her for her service as chair over the past six years; the department has thrived during her tenure, and I greatly appreciate all she has done for the college, including her help with the transition.

Whether you are a new member of our college community, or are returning to familiar routines, your contributions will always define who we are and who we want to be at UFCVM — throughout our academic cycles and in every season. I appreciate you all!

Sincerely,

Dana

Dana N. Zimmel, D.V.M.
Dean and Professor