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news@TCSVM
news@TCSVM is sent via e-mail from the Dean
as a monthly newsletter to TCSVM faculty, staff, and students. Each
month we present information from each department about publications,
grants, presentations, and awards, in addition to committee updates and
other news from our campus community.
Note from the Dean,
February 2008
Dr. Howard Levine left an enormous hole in the school when he died on February 14th. We lost a gifted and caring teacher, a talented clinician and academician, and a dear friend. A tribute for Dr. Levine is being planned for the Grafton campus, but a date has not yet been finalized with the family. Thank you for the concern, love and support you continue to express for Howard and for his family.
Dr. Levine would have been the first to celebrate the news that Dr. Agnes Varis, our school's long-standing friend and exceptional patron, generously provided a $2.5 million naming gift for the addition of an auditorium/lecture hall to the Agnes Varis Campus Center. The Varis Campus Center will open this summer and completion of the auditorium addition is expected in early spring 2009. These additions to our campus will bring together faculty, staff and students and will allow us to celebrate our common goals, learn from our diverse activities and appreciate the collegiality that makes this school so special.
There was much activity this month with Governor Deval Patrick's Life Sciences Initiative (LSI). The month started with Cummings School participation in the Life Sciences Talent Summit and progressed to the launch of the LSI matching grants program. The month ended with news that, on the strength of our infectious diseases program, the New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory (NE-RBL) at Cummings School is being considered for a capital investment by the Commonwealth. The NE-RBL is approaching 25% construction completion and is on budget and on schedule. We will keep you informed as things progress!
Visitors to campus this month included Senate President Therese Murray, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee Steven Panagiotakos, Senator Ed Augustus and Representative George Peterson. Thanks to your good work, all left campus totally impressed by the quality and diversity of Cummings School endeavors. We also hosted a Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce working group, largely through the efforts of Jean Poteete who, along with Executive Associate Dean Joe McManus and his staff, have long supported economic development activities in the Blackstone Valley.
Among the most important visitors to campus this month were the many excited and enthusiastic applicants for the Class of 2012. Thanks go to Rebecca Russo and her staff and the hard-working members of the Admissions Committee for another very successful interview season.
The efforts of the Class of 2009, and especially of the Senior Celebration planning committee consisting of Danielle Diamond, Blair Daus, Stephanie Murray and Sara Hutchings, resulted in a wonderful Senior Celebration and an evening of congratulations and well wishes for the Class of 2008. Class videos were excellent and yielded a whole new crop of cinematic faculty, staff and put the cat in the box student stars. As always, thanks go to Sue Brogan for her help in making this event a success.
Winners of the Alpha Psi Chocolate Decadence contest held this month included: Lynn Furick V'11 who won first place with white chocolate berry tarts; Danielle Diamond V'09 won second place with mint monstrosity; and Christina Buchter V'09 won third place with chocolate glazed hazelnut mousse cake. Consensus among the judges was that all entries were excellent!
Thank you for all that you do and safe travels to those who are away on spring break.
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