News from the College of Veterinary Medicine
Alumni Affairs Office

Welcome to the CVM E-news for February 2006

Good bye and good luck, Dean DiPietro
The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students will host a Farewell Celebration in honor of Joe and Deb DiPietro, Thursday, February 16, 2006, from 2-4 PM in the VAB Lobby and SAH Courtyard. If you would like to contribute to the Joseph A. DiPietro Scholarship, checks should be made payable to the UF Foundation, Inc., and sent to Zoë Haynes in the Development Office.

Dr. Jim Thompson named interim dean
Dr. Jim Thompson was named interim dean effective February 20 as Dean DiPietro leaves for his new position as VP for Agriculture at Tennessee . Thompson, a Class of 1981 alumnus, has served as the associate dean for students and instruction since 1996.

New department name
Effective December 2, 2005, the Department of Pathobiology was changed to the Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology. With more emphasis being placed on infectious diseases, especially emerging pathogens and pathology, the broad name, Pathobiology is no longer accurate.

College Web site has job position bulletin board
Are you looking for a new CVM graduate to join your practice? Take a look at the Vet Med job position bulletin board on our Web site. Each Friday, job positions are posted and e-mails are sent to our senior students to advise them of the positions available. This service is free. If your practice would like to post an open job position, contact Amy Word at worda@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu .

Coming soon
Western Veterinary Conference Alumni Reception
The 78 th Western Veterinary Conference is February 19-23, 2006, at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas . UF CVM will host an alumni reception on Monday, February 20, 2006, from 7:30-9:30 PM in Palm E conference room.

Party in the Jungle…for the love of animals
SAVE THE DATE – “Party in the Jungle….for the love of animals” will be Friday, March 10, 2006, at Parrot Jungle Island in Miami . Join us for an evening of jungle fun – cocktails, exotic offerings to please your palate, fancy desserts, birds, big cats, auction, and dancing. Also enjoy a special performance by Dr. Marty Becker, co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul.” This event will raise funds to expand and renovate Florida 's only veterinary medicine teaching hospital. Tickets are available through Sunshine Andrei at 352-392-4000 x5200.

CVM 14th Annual Golf Classic – Saturday, April 1, 2006, at Haile Plantation
CVM Annual Open House – Saturday, April 15, 2006
AVMA – July 15-19, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii. Alumni Reception TBA

Tell us what you are doing
We have added a section on our Alumni Affairs Web page called “Tell us what you are doing.” We are interested in hearing about your present practice, life and more. We will post the results on our Web site.

Question of the Month:
What kind of professional work are you doing now?

• Small Animal – Cats or Dogs
• Large Animal – Equine or Food Animal
• Marine Animal, Exotics or Wildlife
• Permanent Location or Mobile Vet

Alumni Survey
We appreciate all the responses we received to our recent Alumni Survey 2005.

Alumni Homecoming Celebration - Overall, the respondents rated the Alumni Homecoming Celebration 3.77 (with five being the highest score). We will use your suggestions and comments at our next planning meeting.

Web site – The Web site was rated 4.23 overall (with five being the highest score) Some of the suggestions included, an open house page, SCAVMA notes, and new clinical practices. We will try our best to address the issues and post on the Web site. (Current SCAVMA notes are available on the Web under Students/Course Notes and Instructional Materials. Open House flier under Events/Open House, but has last year's info.)

Mailing Preference – The number one preferred method of communication was letter or flier in the mail, followed by e-mail monthly or as needed. Third and fourth are the Florida Veterinarian Newsletter and The Veterinary Page. Least preferred are fax and telephone calls.

Class of 1981 will celebrate their 25th reunion April 21-22, 2006. These classmates will become charter members of the UF Alumni Association's Silver Society. Other events will include a barbecue, the Orange and Blue football scrimmage, a concert by the LandSharks (a Jimmy Buffet tribute band) and more. Watch your mail for more information from Jim Thompson, Dale Kaplan-Stein and Mike Ponte.

Class of 1991 wants to have a class reunion in conjunction with UF Homecoming October 6 & 7. If you are a member of the Class of 1991, contact Dr. Debra Kamstock Kamstock@colostate.edu ASAP to start planning.

Let's Get Together
Need help planning a class reunion? Contact the Alumni Affairs office for assistance.

Back to College 2006
The University of Florida Alumni Association invites you Back to College 2006 featuring the Colleges of Design, Construction and Planning, Education, Medicine and Nursing, as well as honoring Florida Football, Stephen C. O’Connell Center and Smathers Libraries. The UF Alumni Association offers you the opportunity to return to campus in February 23-25, 2006, for an educational encounter with the faculty and staff of UF.

For more information about these programs and how to join the UF Alumni Association, go to www.ufalumni.ufl.edu.

For more information on other activities at the College of Veterinary Medicine, see our newly revised Alumni Affairs Web site at www.vetmed.ufl.edu/alumni

Zoë Haynes
Senior Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
haynesz@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu

Jo Ann Winn
Special Events Coordinator
winnj@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu