Here on the Palouse, we breathed a collective sigh of relief at the end of 2024. We have now entered our 126th year, which, although notable, is not going to be our celebratory focus. We have completed, and are elbow-deep, in our strategic plan implementation. And we finished our veterinary program accreditation site visit. But that collective sigh of relief was quickly followed by the uncertainty of working through the changes as we transition to new federal and state leaders. Change is normal, it happens every 2-4 years, and it is always accompanied by ups, downs, and a lot of questions. It reminds me that it is hard to overstate the ways in which our world is fully integrated with federal programs. Current examples include junior research faculty who just received their first National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant — mentoring, discovery, engagement — wait to see if that funding will materialize. Students who had planned on attending the 2025 Center for Disease Control (CDC) Veterinary Student Day in late January are no longer. All of this, on top of the uncertainty around the federal budget before Congress, makes it difficult to plan. The federal budget contains funding for our tier one national lab, the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) and our resilient livestock initiative, among many other things. There will be a lot of digging through new Department of Education rules and rule reversals. International students, wonderful, hard-working, and awesome members of our community, now have renewed worries about travel, family, status. All of this is deep “cognitive burden” for students who are here to flourish.
So, as we enter this new year, I want to reaffirm the core principles that guide us. At the heart of our mission is a commitment to recruiting the brightest minds, providing unparalleled support for student success, and ensuring veterinary care reaches every community we serve. We are dedicated to attracting individuals whose passion and talent strengthen our college. We understand the importance of providing the academic tools, mentorship, and financial resources necessary for our students to achieve their full potential. We remain steadfast in preparing graduates who reflect and address the needs of all communities — whether rural, urban, or indigenous — ensuring that every region has access to the care and expertise it deserves.
All are welcome here. Our mission remains unchanged. We know life will settle; it always does. Change will happen, it always does. The light is our college and community.
If you’d like to know more, you can always read the latest stories from our college on our news page. For even more content, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Be safe, healthy, happy, and stay hopeful.
Take care & Go Cougs, Dori Borjesson