Students gather in the lunch area

Welcome to the CVM alumni e-news for March 2007

Open House April 14, 2007
The College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual Open House is planned for Saturday, April 14, 2007 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Open House features animal attractions and demos, school tours, kid’s carnival by O2B Kids, animal adoptions, silent auction, department displays, tasty food and much, much more! This annual event is sponsored by SCAVMA and the Class of 2008.

Alumni Council Spring Meeting
The Alumni Council Spring Meeting will be held Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Emerson Alumni Hall, 1938 W. University Avenue, Gainesville. We will meet in the President’s Room B and lunch will be provided.

Please RSVP to Genevieve Mendoza Perez at perezg@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu
352-392-4700 ext. 5200 by April 18. The minutes from this meeting will be posted on the CVM Alumni Affairs Web site.

Professional Coating Ceremony
The Professional Coating Ceremony for the Class of 2009 is Thursday, May 3, 2007 starting at 1 PM in the University Auditorium. If you have been asked to present a coat to a class member, please try to accommodate his/her request.


The Professional Coating Ceremony marks the end of our sophomore students' pre-clinical classroom training and the beginning of their hospital clerkship rotations. It is a time our students embrace with great anticipation as they begin their professional interactions with clinicians, clients and patients. We hope you will be able to attend this special ceremony and witness the Class of 2009 as they receive their coats.

Commencement
The Office of Students and Instructions announces that the CVM Class of 2007 Commencement will be Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 2 PM in the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Reception immediately following ceremony at the Touchdown Terrace Club, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Dr. Cheryl Chrisman has agreed to deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2007. Chrisman is a program director and professor in the Small Animal Clinical Sciences department. She has specialized in neurophysiology of learning and clinical neurology over her 30+ year career at the college.

Graduates’ names and career choices will be posted on the web in June.

CVM & Campus News

How Do I Get Into Vet School?
Are you asked that question very often? The College of Veterinary Medicine has an admissions information video for students seeking information about our college. Dr. Jim Thompson, executive associate dean and dean of students, introduces the admissions process, education requirements, veterinary work force, curriculum, and other pre-requisites. Share this valuable information with your potential vet students. Read more>>

SIVO WZAAM Heading to Honduras
The Students for International Veterinary Opportunities (SIVO), and Wildlife, Zoo, & Aquatic Animal Medicine (WZAAM) are joining forces to go to Honduras. Their mission is to provide a multi-faceted aid package by reducing the number of future strays and assisting local wildlife centers.

How can you help? They need medical supplies and/or unwanted or surplus supplies – from needles and syringes to major equipment. If you are interested, contact one of the following students: James Steeil, WZAAM vice-president, Christopher Carmona, SIVO president, Baird Fleming, trip coordinator. Read more>>

Project HEAL Travels to Ecuador
Health Extension And Learning (HEAL) is a student-run club for outreach trips to Ecuador to help de-worm small ruminants, castrate male cats, and help communities with basic husbandry techniques. The students going this year are seeking support such as sponsoring a student, sending medications and supplies, and/or purchasing Ecuadorian crafts. For more information about this project, see the club Web site at www.vetmed.ufl.edu/clubs/HEAL or contact Agda Barreirinhas or Venus Appeal.

Project HEAL was founded by two former UF veterinary students – Dr. Traci Krueger and Dr. Amanda Martinot in connection with the Universidad Central de Quito, to institute a friendship between the two Universities to benefit students and developing communities. Read more>>

CVM Alumni News

UF Homecoming Weekend 2007
The UF Homecoming Weekend 2007 is scheduled for November 2 & 3, 2007. The Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in The Swamp.

The CVM will have limited football tickets, Gator Growl tickets, and celebration meal tickets available for sale to our alumni. We have also secured room blocks at three Gainesville hotels for our out-of-towners. If you plan to attend, you should reserve a hotel room soon. Hotel information is posted on the alumni affairs homecoming page.

CVM Homecoming Save-the-Date cards will be mailed around June 2007 and all additional information will be posted on the CVM Web site. Registration will not begin until September..

Tell us what you are doing
We have 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 have posted many replies on our Web site and have enjoyed your comments. Read more>>

2007 will be a busy year for class reunions...
It was “standing room only” for the UF CVM Alumni Reception at NAVC in January. We counted 418 people who signed-in and we believe there were many more. UF has the largest alumni reception turnout at NAVC. And didn’t we have something to celebrate – our recent National Championship football victory over The Ohio State University Buckeyes. Our newest Gator – a converted OSU alumnus – Dean Glen Hoffsis is proud to be on the Gator winning team!

Class of 1982 – Quiet on the Set: Lights, Camera, Action!
The University of Florida Alumni Association hopes you are ready for your close-up photo because on Saturday, April 14, you and other stars (i.e., graduates) from the University of Florida Class of 1982 are invited back to Gainesville to celebrate the 25th anniversary of your graduation from vet school. You and your classmates will become members of the newest reunion program – The Silver Society.

The college will host a Continental Breakfast, Saturday, April 14 at 9 AM in your honor. You will have a chance to mix and mingle with your classmates and faculty.

Other activities include a pep rally and outdoor concert on Friday night, and on Saturday, a BBQ before the Orange and Blue Scrimmage game. The event concludes with a red carpet reception in your honor at Emerson Alumni Hall Saturday evening. Watch your mail for more details.

A Web site is born
The UF Alumni Association is kicking off its next 100 years of connecting the Gator Nation with a new Web site. The site includes a members-only section, online directory, merchandise offers, archived alumni publications, official class ring information and a new feature called Gators are Everywhere.

The Gators are Everywhere section allows alumni and friends to send their Gator pictures as they travel the world. The pictures will be posted on the site to show that "the University of Florida is in Gainesville, but the Gator Nation is everywhere." Visit the new site at www.ufalumni.ufl.edu and send your Gators are Everywhere stories to Gatorsareeverywhere@uff.ufl.edu.

Year of the Gators
Year of the GatorsLooking to celebrate both the basketball and football championship? Visit www.coolcollegeshirts.com to purchase your officially licensed Gator football and basketball Year-of-the-Gator T-shirt.

Introducing offical Gator Nation gear
Go to fossil.com/uf now and browse the selection of genuine University of Florida merchandise, including custom-designed UF alumni watches for men and women. You'll also find UF handbags, belts, wallets, sunware and more, all of it authentically crafted by Fossil.

If you are ordering a national championship watch, be the first to pre-order and get free overnight shipping. This offer is valid until January 22 and the watches will shipped on or before this date.

Additionally, every purchase you make contributes to the UF Alumni Association. Not only will you be showing your school spirit in style, but this will also support the UF Alumni Association