Dean’s message: April 2023

Dean Dori Borjesson standing outside Bustad Hall on the WSU campus.
Two baby owls sit next to an adult in a tree in front of Bustad Hall at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Wednesday, April 5. (College of Veterinary Medicine/Ted S. Warren)

This past month, our community was brought together by a great horned owl family (shout out to WSU exotics veterinarian Dr. Marcie Logsdon, who helped settle them from the Fine Arts garage, and to our amazing college photographer, Ted Warren, who I know will insert a photo of the whole owl family)!

These owls spent a few weeks in the trees outside of Bustad, while the owlets were in the branching phase. We couldn’t stop looking at them. We took field trips outside, chatted with people we didn’t know (who, without our amazing guidance, may not have even seen the wonder)! We were giddy. The owls have moved on, as they were meant to do, and it feels quite a loss. 

Even after all these decades of academic work, I am struck by its seasonality. We are at the peak of the exciting and often stressful end of semester activities including final exams, preparation for commencement, and our third-year students starting their clinical training in the teaching hospital. And there is a constant barrage of information about ongoing budget cuts, programmatic changes, staffing challenges, and shifts in academic veterinary medicine. It is easy to see the impact on the minds, temperament, and spirit of our faculty, staff, and students. I wish for easier times; I know we all do. In my better moments, this is my truth: change is inevitable, budget challenges often open opportunities that were not previously envisioned, and education and teaching evolve, as they should. We are in this together. 

So here is some upbeat information. Our DVM admissions cycle for the class of 2027 is almost done. We will have admitted our largest class of around 140 students. These students chose us because they trust WSU’s long-standing professional program builds well-rounded, caring veterinarians. We offer a non-tracked curriculum that appeals to those who want to learn about the whole animal kingdom. Incoming students have heard about Diagnostic Challenges (shout out to Dr. Steve Hines, fundraising ambassador extraordinaire) and our open clinical skills lab, simulation labs, and communication course (shout out to Dr. Julie Cary). They recognize the opportunities for hands-on experience and opportunities to work in the only veterinary teaching hospital in the state. Many of our students are Cougs or come from Coug families; and many love living and serving in rural areas. They come because you all, reading these notes, champion our program and welcome our students into the larger community of WSU veterinarians when they graduate. Our students consistently mention being part of a community of staff and faculty that supports them. A community that is resilient, despite challenges. A community that can be strengthened by an owl family. I love that. 

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Be safe, healthy, happy, and stay hopeful.