Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Willie Reed highlighted progress on the new David and Bonnie Brunner Purdue Veterinary Medical Hospital Complex as he gave his annual State of the College address to veterinary students Monday, October 4. Organized by SAVMA Purdue, the lunchtime program was presented in-person this year in contrast to last year when it was done virtually due to the pandemic.
Dean Reed began his talk by thanking the students for their diligence in following the Protect Purdue guidelines. Noting that the university is benefitting from the high vaccination rate on campus, which has reached 86%, Dean Reed pointed out that that university has not had a single positive case of COVID-19 that has been traced back to the classroom. He also praised the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for the way it expanded its services to perform testing on human samples for COVID-19 in support of Protect Purdue, completing 200,000 COVID-19 tests in the past year, all with a typical turnaround time of one day or less. Additionally, the ADDL now is utilizing its sequencing capability to detect COVID-19 variants.
Turning to the progress being made on construction of the new Purdue University Veterinary Hospital facilities, Dean Reed shared a sequence of aerial pictures of the construction site to show how the buildings have been taking shape since work began in the spring of 2020. The dean also explained that the facilities are now named in honor of PVM alumnus David Brunner (PU DVM ’79) and his wife, Bonnie, who made a major gift commitment in support of the project. With construction progressing toward completion at the end of the year, the new complex is expected to open next spring, with a dedication ceremony scheduled for April 8.
Dean Reed also updated the students on admissions and enrollment, research funding and accomplishments, faculty awards and honors, and the ongoing success of the college’s engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. He concluded by reminding the students that, as Boilermakers, “… we keep learning… we keep going. Always, always, taking the next step, together. Because every giant leap starts with one small step.”
The Dean’s State of the College presentation was sponsored by the AVMA’s ALL for Students program, #AVMAAllForStudents, which is a joint initiative of the AVMA Family. A special thank you to the SAVMA Purdue Executive Board for their role in coordinating the event.
