February is ending with rain, giving the much-needed nourishment for spring to emerge. It is worth the gray clouds as long as they take their leave when appropriate. As I engage with candidates interviewing for our first faculty positions for our new Public Health program, I think about the deep range of programs and activities in which the College of Veterinary Medicine engages. From early oversight of the food supply and rural subsistence farming to large-scale cow-calf operations; from monitoring disease outbreaks that impact human and animal health and wellbeing, including economic wellbeing; from training as doctors of comparative medicine (holding knowledge of the wonderfully complex anatomy, physiology and behaviors of birds, reptiles, and mammals) to faithful and knowledgeable participants in the human-animal bond. It is a vast enterprise. My sister-in-law recently asked me what I was enjoying most right now in my role as dean of the college. At the college and in the Palouse, the answer is always about supporting people (whether staff, faculty, or students), their passion, and their vision for programmatic excellence. Advocacy through storytelling, generating support for programs, finding resources, and developing and supporting excellent leaders with innovative solutions. These things I enjoy.
Today, I want to highlight a particularly wonderful part of who we are and the care we give to all animals. Last month, the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital was featured in the Seattle Times Pacific NW Magazine with a story written about our very special hospital and a second story about our large animal care.
These engaging, wonderfully photo-full, full-length articles highlight just a few of those amazing heart-felt stories that characterize much of what we do. Stories about connectedness, whether human-to-human or human-to-animal, are particularly important right now. People engaging together through their commitments to the animals with whom they share this journey. The story received so much positive attention that, in response, people started to write about their own experiences at the college, in the hospital lobby, with clinicians, staff, and students. Do read them, read them again (I did), and share them with others. I hope these stories make your day just a little bit brighter.
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.