Dr. Dana Zimmel
Greetings, all,
When I shared my remarks to the Class of 2023 during commencement, held May 27 at the UF Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, I talked about the phenomenon of the “fresh start effect,” which some of you may have heard of. It’s a term that researchers have given to the idea that people are better at tackling their goals when they start on time-based landmarks, such as New Year’s Day or a milestone birthday, as an opportunity to reset goals and priorities.
When I looked out from the podium at the sea of smiling faces, the excitement was almost palpable. These 117 new UF College of Veterinary Medicine D.V.M. recipients have the world ahead of them, and so much to look forward to. For them, as for all of us, new beginnings represent a time for reflection on all that’s brought us to the point we are, which means holding on to important life lessons while also allowing oneself to let go of the past and move unhindered and optimistic into the future that awaits us.
At UFCVM, we are in the process of articulating our vision for a new strategic plan that will build upon our foundations, leveraging our existing strengths while allowing us to look toward the future with an action plan for where we wish to be. How are we teaching and how can we be better positioning our students to serve as the veterinarians of the future? What areas of biomedical research do we need to be concentrating on in order to move animal, human and environmental health forward? And how can we make use of artificial intelligence and big data to improve patient care across species?
It’s so important to always be learning, to always be growing, institutionally as well as personally, and I look forward to sharing more about the college’s vision as the months unfold.
In the meantime, many of you are already aware that U.S. News & World Report released its new rankings of veterinary colleges nationwide, and our college rose 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 veterinary colleges at the University of Georgia and the University of Wisconsin. We are thrilled at this recognition, which we owe to the hard work and ongoing commitment of our faculty, who demonstrate their passion for discovery and problem-solving every day in the laboratory and in our teaching hospital. Our cover story highlights some of the accomplishments we’re proudest of.
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.
This past semester, we resumed our traditional Open House, which had been on hiatus since 2019, and it was a huge success. Enthusiasm was high among the nearly 5,000 attendees who visited the college for a full day of educational demonstrations and exhibits, along with talks on how to get into veterinary school. It was wonderful to see this event return, along with other spring activities that make up our always-busy calendar.
Our fall alumni association meeting and tailgate gathering will take place separately from UF Homecoming this year, on November 4. We hope to see some of you then.
I hope you all have a wonderful summer and find ways to stay refreshed amidst your busy schedules. And don’t forget that it’s just fine to “press reset” now and then to seek a fresh perspective and approach whatever lies ahead for you with a clean slate.
With gratitude,
Dana N. Zimmel, D.V.M.
Professor and Dean
