Alumni Relations

Dean's Message—Winter 2009

Deborah Kochevar
Dean

Over the past several months, I have had the privilege of meeting many of you and hearing how you value your Tufts veterinary education. You should know that I also hear from employers who routinely compliment the school and the quality of our graduates. Thank you for being such good ambassadors of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts!

In October, our school lost a dear friend—Dr. Henry “Hank” Foster. Dr. Foster was truly the heart and soul of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. It was through his early efforts that the school was established and he touched nearly every element of our program with his thoughtful guidance and generous support. Even in passing, Dr. Foster was taking care of his school when he asked that memorial contributions be directed to our program. The next issue of Tufts Veterinary Medicine magazine will feature a tribute to Dr. Foster as a mark of our respect and love for a man who made such a difference to our school and to the veterinary profession.

In September another dedicated friend of our school, Dr. Agnes Varis, visited the campus for the grand opening of the Agnes Varis Campus Center. A 170+ seat auditorium attached to the new campus center will open in March to complete the complex. With help from many of you through the Take a Seat campaign, we met the terms of a challenge grant that moved us closer to our goal of full financing for the auditorium. Be assured, it is not too late to take a seat!

Plans are progressing on design of the new Hospital for Large Animals isolation facility that will increase our isolation stall capacity from 2 to 8. The new facility, made possible by a generous grant from the Manton Foundation, will have a major impact on our ability to manage large animals with infectious diseases and will greatly decrease the chances of disease spread within the hospital.

At the end of March, the largely NIH-funded New England Regional Biosafety (BSL3) Laboratory will open on our campus and extend the already impressive capabilities of our Division of Infectious Diseases in the Biomedical Sciences department.

While our faculty, students and staff have advanced our multiple missions of excellence in clinical service, teaching and research, the school and the university have been working hard to bring budgets into balance and to address deficits related to state cuts and losses to the university endowment. I appreciate the support you have shown for the school in these difficult times.

Please make time to visit campus, see the new facilities and appreciate the good work that goes on here every day. We welcome you back at any time and look forward to your visit!