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Message from the Dean | March 2017
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Welcome to Our Invited Applicants
Please join me in welcoming our invited applicants for the Class of 2021 this coming Friday. We will have an opportunity to introduce the invitees, and often their parents, to all that the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine has to offer and the broad array of career opportunities available to them in this exciting profession.
Many will also join us for the Dean's get-together, and I encourage all of you to come and welcome these potential new students and answer any questions they may have about your experiences at the SVM and in Madison.
I'd also like to highlight some great news we received last week from the campus highlighting the average debt load of our students upon graduation. Over the last four years, our students' average debt load has declined from $136,000 to $113,000, whereas the average veterinary medical student's debt load nationally has increased over the same time period from $142,000 to $156,000. And over the last 5 years, our student's indebtedness has decreased by 12% while nationally average debt has increased by 16%.
Much of this success is due to the generosity of friends of the school who provide scholarship and award support, which now totals approximately $1.4 million per year and is slated to grow to over $2 million per year in the next three years. In addition, the financial literacy workshops offered by the Office of Academic Affairs have helped our students better budget for their four years here at the SVM. Much credit goes to our students for putting these tools to work and planning well for the future.
Another piece of great news, last month I was excited to announce the $5 million Morrie Waud match gift, which builds upon the $3 million BerbeeWalsh match I announced last year. Both generous donations support our building expansion campaign. I am pleased to report that we are approaching the half-way mark toward fulfilling the BerbeeWalsh match, and that we have raised $17 million for this vital project. I hope you will explore these opportunities and learn how you can help.
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UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director
Welcome to
Jan Kenyon, our new receptionist, and
JR Lund DVM'07, our new resident in diagnostic imaging.
Here's just a sample of the many positive comments and praise we have received from clients in the past month:
"We were completely pleased with the entire experience: the initial exam of Chloe by our medical student was gentle and very thorough; Dr. Schaffer also treated Chloe with sensitivity and respect that kept our beloved dog at ease throughout her experience at the clinic. Dr. Schaffer efficiently and very clearly explained her thinking about what might be our dog's problem, as well as the various ways of proceeding to deal with it. She clearly explained costs involved. We could not have been more satisfied."
--Susan, Milwaukee, Wis.
Ruthanne Chun DVM'93
Director,
UW Veterinary Care
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
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Student News
The Poultry Science Association Foundation has announced that
Maria Arendt DVMx'17 PhDx'19 has received the 2017 Merck Animal Health Fellowship, which awards her $100,000 in support of her poultry research.
Lana Fox DVMx'17 was the subject of a
feature article in a recent issue of her hometown newspaper.
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Faculty and Staff News
Welcome to
Ann Thornburg, our new accountant in business services, and to the newest members of our IT department:
Tom Jacquot, who will focus on security, and
Tom Vetter, who will be splitting his time between the SVM and the Influenza Research Institute.
Best wishes to
Marla Ostby, who is leaving the Department of Pathobiological Sciences on March 2. But she won't be going far -- her new position will be just across the way at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
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Research News
A team of scientists, including faculty and staff from the SVM, recently released a study showing that listeria, a common food-borne bacterium, may pose a greater risk of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy than previously thought.
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Upcoming Events
Dean's Get-together
March 3, 2017
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Veterinary Medicine Building
More
SVM Alumni Reception (WVC Annual Conference)
March 6, 2017
7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Border Grill at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
More
For more SVM-related events, visit the school's
online calendar.
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