There are limited people on the veterinary school campus currently, but those here can see visible evidence of our preparations for fall. The giant tents being raised for outdoor classrooms are the most obvious examples of change, but they represent the tremendous effort that has gone into evaluating and shifting every aspect of our instruction. Through the Educational Plan that our faculty have created for the fall we are continuing to provide the best veterinary education in the world, while also creating a learning environment that puts community health first. I would like to thank everyone who has been getting us ready for the new school year, as well as the students and faculty for adapting to the circumstances. We are determined to continue serving our students and meeting society’s need for well-trained veterinarians.

The School is also committed to fighting for social justice in veterinary medicine, starting here. Goal 5 of the School’s Strategic Plan recommended the establishment of a Community Council as a tactic to produce sustained ideas to promote the Principles of Community, improve human welfare, and enhance diversity and inclusion. The council launched last week with broad representation across the school. You can learn more about the council here. To provide input, please contact Dr. Karl Jandrey, the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Programs who facilitates the counsel as an ex-officio member. I look forward to hearing the council’s recommendations.

Our communications team recently revamped our coronavirus information resources. They continue to add information regularly, so they’ve changed it from a single page into a well-organized site. You can find Veterinary Medicine coronavirus-specific information there, while general UC Davis information is available on the campus site. 

Yolo County is well off of its July peak in Covid cases. As expected we have had a few positive Covid cases over the past several months within our Veterinary Medicine community, which have been traced to community spread outside of campus. We work closely with campus officials to review and verify COVID-19 confirmed cases, and respond to concerns from the campus community regarding COVID-19. Confirmed positive Covid-19 cases on campus are reported here. It’s a reminder to keep yourselves—and by extension the other members of the Veterinary Medicine community—healthy by following campus guidelines for health and safety.  

I enjoyed greeting our new veterinary class this past weekend as they picked up their white coats and introduction packets, and learned about some of our student clubs at a safe distance. I look forward to officially welcoming them through the virtual White Coat Ceremony. Because the ceremony is virtual this year and has unlimited attendance, I encourage all of our faculty, staff, and students to help us greet the class of 2024. Please join us on Friday, August 14 from 3-5 p.m. Our featured speaker is Dr. Gina Davis, a DVM alumna from the class of 1997, who has returned to UC Davis to start a Behavior Medicine residency program. You can find out more information about the ceremony here.