Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine is making strides far beyond the state of Indiana, thanks in large part to the tremendous efforts of Addison Sheldon, the college’s director of global engagement. Sheldon is a Purdue graduate who joined the PVM Office of Engagement in April of 2021. His contributions were recognized recently when he was selected, along with three other Purdue staff and faculty members, by the university’s Global Academic Committee to receive the 2025 Outstanding Leadership in Globalization Award.
The award demonstrates Purdue’s commitment to promoting world changing research and transformative education for the benefit of the entire Boilermaker community. “The College of Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Global Engagement is dedicated to providing Purdue Veterinary Medicine students with opportunities to engage with our international community and learn about international issues that impact the veterinary profession,” Sheldon said. “Our goal is to create globally conscious veterinary professionals who can understand and act on global health issues by providing them with impactful global engagement opportunities.”
Sheldon praises the college’s commitment to global engagement, which is reflected in the number of international partnerships that have been established. In particular he cited the college’s partnership with American Fondouk, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing people-to-people aid through offering free veterinary care for the hard-working donkeys, mules, and horses of Morocco. “The American Fondouk partnership provides our students with clinical rotations focusing on the working equids of Fez medina and local farms,” Sheldon said.
In addition, under Sheldon’s leadership, a unique pre-matriculation program has been established in Zimbabwe that is the first of its kind. Sheldon said the program “…introduces students to the intricacies of veterinary medicine practice in Zimbabwe, while focusing on exploring the contrasts in urban, livestock, and wildlife veterinary medicine.”
Vijay Raghunathan, Purdue vice president for global partnerships and programs, praised Sheldon’s thoughtful development of programs that have transformed how students understand their role in the globalized world. He emphasized that Sheldon’s “…creativity, especially in launching opportunities like the pre-veterinary medicine program in Zimbabwe and the clinical rotation in Morocco, has opened doors for so many. Because of [his] dedication, more students than ever are gaining meaningful, globally-informed perspectives that will shape their futures in veterinary medicine.”
Sheldon, along with the other award recipients, will be honored through a campus-wide announcement to be made during International Education Week in November.