Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | winter 2006

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BRICKS AND MORTAR: THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE RENOVATION PROJECT

Top-tier veterinary programs reflect their stature with state-of-the-art facilities. The ISU College of Veterinary Medicine’s goals of being a top-tier program and being as effective and efficient as possible are dependent on the transformation of the teaching hospital environment through structural changes. These changes will allow for safety, security, and preparations for future service and learning needs for those who utilize the hospital: students, the animal-owning public, referring veterinarians, and faculty.
Infrastructure changes in the first phase of the renovation will include a separate large animal isolation unit, an equine and large animal intensive care area with in-patient ward and surgical facility, intensive care unit, and office space. Construction will provide an imaging center with equipment to diagnose and treat large and small veterinary patients. Faculty and staff inside the college and across the university will find that the facility will allow them to maintain and expand their research efforts.

Nearly $10 million of the $51 million cost of phase one of the project must be raised through private gifts. Once the private fundraising goal for the first phase is completed, efforts will turn to seeking funds for renovation of existing facilities to establish appropriate space for the small animal hospital.

For more information about the college’s building project, contact O. Richard Bundy, assistant vice president for development, at rbundy@iastate.edu or (515) 294-9088.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

• Dean: John U. Thomson
• Number of veterinary degree candidates enrolled fall 2005: 431
• Number of master’s and PhD candidates: 102
• Number of tenure-track faculty: 102
• Number of alumni: 4,883
• Number of Alumni Association members: 1,397
• Departments: Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Veterinary Pathology, Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, and Veterinary Clinical Services
• In 1879, Iowa State University became the nation’s first publicly supported College ofVeterinary Medicine. (The college celebrated its 125th year in 2004.)
• In 1903, Iowa State University began offering
the nation’s first four-year curriculum in veterinary medicine.
• One of most recognizable symbols in veterinary medicine is ISU’s Gentle Doctor. The statue was created in 1938 by Christian Petersen while he was a resident artist at Iowa State.
• In 1887, the Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital had a case- load of 250 patients. In 2004, the number of patients totaled 17,000.
• The Veterinary Teaching Hospital has 52 board-certified veterinary specialists. Specialty areas include anesthesiology, cardiology, dermatology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, radiology, reproduction,
and surgery.
• Orthopedic specialist Michael Conzemius designed the first successful elbow implant and developed surgical techniques for a total elbow replacement in dogs suffering from severe arthritis.
• Global Emerging Diseases, developed by Jeff Beetham in veterinary pathology, is aunique new secondary major offered at Iowa State to teach students about geographic and environmental differences that sustain diseases in various parts of the world.
• The College of Veterinary Medicine is a cornerstone of one of the world’s largest concentrations of animal health professionals, along with the USDA’s national AnimalDisease Center, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, and the Center for Veterinary Biologics.