This year’s State of the College address gave a status update to the College of Veterinary Medicine community on its progress through the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, including an overview of college financials, research, sustainability, diversity and other key priorities for the next year.

“The college has been leading veterinary medicine for over a century,” said Lorin D. Warnick, D.V.M., Ph.D. ’94, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “Among veterinary colleges, we are number one in independent investigator-initiated NIH RO1 grants, and number two in publications and citations per article.”

College community members also took time at the podium to discuss key components of the Strategic Plan. Danielle Pfaff, director of finance and administration for the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, reported on the new Small Animal Community Practice as well as ezyVet, the hospital’s new commercial electronic medical records system. Karyn Havas, D.V.M. ’05, section chief of infectious disease epidemiology and lecturer with the Masters of Public Health (MPH) and International Programs, gave a brief primer on the college’s latest international efforts and the MPH program, which is now into its second year.

Panelists Dr. Hector Aguilar-Carreno, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Cynthia Leifer, Ph.D. ’00, associate professor of immunology, gave an overview of the college’s efforts around diversity and inclusion, highlighting their recently-awarded NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Diversity Grant to boost underrepresented minority representation in research and academia.

Warnick also discussed the college’s educational initiatives around business and entrepreneurship training, as well as national student debt concerns. “We are taking this issue seriously, and looking closely at the practical ways to improve it and are taking steps to lower the debt-to-starting salary ratio to 1.4:1 by D.V.M. Class of 2028,” said Warnick.

The dean concluded by thanking the community: “I am proud of our accomplishments and enthusiastic about where we are going. Each of you played an important role in our achievements, and I thank you for the many ways you have contributed to our success and in making this an interesting and rewarding place to work.”

Watch the full address online using your Cornell Blackboard account.