Deansmessage

Message from the Dean

Greetings Alumni, Friends, and Supporters of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health (CVMNAH)! I am excited to share with you information covered during the Second Annual Dean’s Advisory Board Meeting held during the kick off the 43rd Annual Veterinary Medical Symposium on March 26, 2008.

First, I would like to thank the 20 dedicated members of the Dean’s Advisory Board who were present for this year’s meeting. Only six members were unable to be attend; however, one member joined the meeting via teleconference. The commitment of these dedicated alumni and friends to the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine (TUSVM) are not only admirable, but a major step in moving the School forward.

Co-Chairs Dr. Harold Davis ‘76 and Dean Emeritus Dr. Walter C. Bowie brought the Dean’s Advisory Board meeting to order by welcoming members. Members in attendance included: Dr. Edward Braye ‘52, Dr. Irvin McConnell ‘80, Dr. Saul Wilson ‘50, Dr. Jerome Williams ‘69, Dr. William Watson ‘65, Dr. William Jones ‘63, Dr. Ruby Perry ‘77, Dr. Charles Lowrie ‘72, Dr. Ellis Hall ‘56, Dr. Adam McKee ’58, Dr. Jerry Clinckscales ‘60, Dr. James Heintz ‘73, Dr. Bonnie Barclay ‘84, Dr. Michael J. Blackwell ‘75, Dr. Pamelar Hale ‘86, Dr. Stephanie Miles-Richardson ‘92, Dr. Laurie Jean Weil ‘85, and Dr. Eugene Adams, Professor Emeritus. Other Board members (who were not in attendance at the March meeting) include: Dr. Chester Gibson ‘79, Dr. Phillip Nelson ‘79, Dr. Willie Reed ‘78, Dr. Leonard Billups ‘65, Dr. Carlos Hodges ‘85, Dr. Christine Jenkins ‘84 (participated via teleconference) and Dr. Daniel Negola ‘72 (has since requested to not serve on the Board due to other commitments). Please note that Dr. Laurie Weil is the newest member on the Board and we are very pleased to have her on board.

Prior to the second official meeting of the Dean’s Advisory Board agenda items discussion, Dr. Jenkins, via teleconference, briefly addressed the group about her company’s role (Hill’s Pet Nutrition) as the largest sponsor of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) 2008 Symposium on March 19-23. She complimented the efforts of both Tuskegee and Auburn’s SCAVMA chapters for co-hosting a very positive and eventful symposium. Dr. Jenkins also encouraged the board to brainstorm on ideas to open up industries in providing externships or expanding current externship opportunities for TUSVM students.

I then encouraged the Board members to peruse the proposal for resource development document that was distributed to them in their packet, especially focusing on the part that referred to "Partnership for Academic Excellence." This project essentially deals with resource development and the establishment of a new Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) within a few years. The second part of the Partnerships for Excellence document places emphasis on leadership development.

Next, I addressed the board on some of the progress that was made during this past year. These   accomplishments included the following:

Webpagefor the Dean’s Board was created and can be accessed at: http://www.onemedicine.tuskegee.edu/Advisory/advisory.htm.

Resource development discussions with the former University Advancement Director Mr. Holloman, and Provost Luther Williams has been very positive.

Dr. Bowie and Dr. Roger Estep, a former Vice President for Advancement at Howard University, have agreed to help us in any way they can. We have also been looking at hiring a resource development person and have put together a salary of $40K to fill the position with a junior person. Although we have had a couple of interviews the position is still unfilled.

We are advertising for a grant writer that will be on board soon. Washington Advocacy Office (Mr. Dale Dierks) is interested in working with us as soon as we put the money together.

Tuition increase for the School of Veterinary Medicine has been approved a second time. The TUSVM has the lowest out of state tuition in the country and the Board of Trustees has approved increasing it over five years. We are hoping that most of the money realized from the tuition increase can be given back to the school.

We have also increased our enrolment to 70 students per class. The contributions of the TUSVM to diversity of the veterinary professions are unique and most critical. In fact, there is an average of one African American (AA) student per class in the other 27 veterinary schools while at TUSVM, we have at least 25 AA students per class.

We have also increased our endowment by $12 million. Obviously, only the interest portion can be used and we hope to increase it in the future. The School’s Endowment fund now has reached about $37 million dollars. It should be noted that Dean Emeritus W. C. Bowie was and is instrumental for just about every legislation that affected the TUSVM including the COE, RCMI, Title III, and most recently the Endowment Grant.

In the Leadership Development arena, we have had sequences of a Internet based lecture series on Leadership called "Webinars" headed by Dr. B. Diffay, former Associate Dean for Administration. We do plan additional activities as we continue to be involved in leadership development.

Finally, I reviewed the Mission of the Board and what is expected of the members as well as the school’s responsibilities.

Next, Co-Chair Dr. Davis reviewed the first inaugural minutes and discussed what has been done since the first meeting by highlighting 10 points from the minutes. He encouraged the board to seek how to get the general alumni involved in what the group is doing. Dr. Davis also raised an important avenue to assist the school where some alumni made insurance bequest to TUSVM. This idea was suggested previously; however, we need to find out or follow up on the status of those who did bequest their insurance to the school. Chairman Davis also indicated that a mentoring program has already been set up at TUSVM, spearheaded by Dr. Ruby Perry, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

We also had the VP for University Advancement, Mr. Getchel Caldwell, present in order to share how he could help the College in our resource development endeavor. His suggestions included: a) advancing strategy that emphasizes the TU veterinary school as the only one unique resource in the nation; b) to take advantage of a group that TU has hired to lobby the State from Montgomery to represent the interest of TU in the state legislature (since TU is a state related institution, it is expected to get 50% of what other historically black schools get); and most importantly, c) Mr. Caldwell has proposed to the President that a resource development person be in all colleges whose sole purpose is to raise funds for that college and the person will report to the dean of that college and to the VP for Advancement. Each school will be responsible for half of this person’s salary.

The Board meeting was then followed up by a Working Group of five to eight members in each of four Breakout Sessions. Each group was charged with brainstorming ideas within the parameters of their particular focus group to assist the School of Veterinary Medicine with fund raising, with supporting the Dean’s leadership development efforts, and with assisting in strengthening TUSVM alumni. The breakout groups are listed below.

Breakout Group 1 - Government Group:

Members were: Drs. Adam McKee, Michael J. Blackwell, William T. Watson, Saul T. Wilson and John L. Williams. Dr. Miles Richardson presented the group’s suggestions.

Breakout Group 2 - Industry Group:

Members were: Drs. Harold Davis, Bonnie Barclay, and Irving McConnell. Dr. Bonnie Barclay summarized the group’s discussion.

Breakout Group 3 - Academics/Others Group:

Members were: Drs. Walter Bowie, Eugene Adams, Edward Braye, Laurie Weil, Michael Blackwell and Mr. G. Caldwell (Guest -TU VP for Advancement). Dr. Blackwell presented the breakout session summary.

Breakout Group 4 - Clinical Practice Group:

Members were: Drs. Charles Lowrie, Jerry Clinkscales, Pamela Hale, Ellis M. Hall, James Heintz, William O. Jones, Ruby Perry and Jerome B. Williams.

I am delighted that these board members took time out of their busy schedules to attend this year’s Dean’s Advisory Board meeting. As I have mentioned previously, this is a very important step for the School as well as very critical for the resource development challenges the School faces. The Advisory Board is proving to be of a great benefit to the School as we move forward addressing the challenges of the College during the coming several years. The third official annual meeting of the Dean’s Advisory Board has been scheduled for March 2009.

In closing, there is no doubt that the spirit of Tuskegee drives everything we do and requires teamwork. Again, I truly appreciate everyone’s support of Mother Tuskegee and particularly of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health (CVMNAH). Also, please remember to keep up with what is happening in the Tuskegee University CVMNAH by visiting us online at www.onemedicine.tuskegee.edu/ and www.tuskegee.edu/.

Sincerely,

Tsegaye Habtemariam, DVM, PhD
Dean