Education Day

The College of Veterinary Medicine held its first annual Education Day on May 17, 2010, in the Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center. The day was a chance to celebrate and experience the expertise and excellence in teaching within the College. A keynote address was given by Mark Hilliard of the University of Minnesota Medical School on engaging students to take responsibility for their own learning, and faculty attended specialized sessions on eLearning, mentoring graduate students, and “virus songs.” Faculty members also presented posters and demonstrations related to education and educational methods.

“This is a way to show faculty how much we care about teaching here at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and we really wanted to have a special day to focus only on teaching,” says Laura Molgaard, associate dean for academic and student affairs.

Education Day also included the presentation of awards to faculty and staff who demonstrate excellence in education. Awards included:

Award for Outstanding Contributions to Post-Baccalaureate, Graduate, and Professional Education

This award was established in 1999 to recognize contributions to post-baccalaureate, graduate, and professional education. Recipients are chosen for excellence in instruction; involvement in students’ research, scholarship, and professional development; development of instructional programs; and advising and mentoring of students. This is the most prestigious award for teaching at the University of Minnesota. The award was presented to Dr. Al Beitz.

This award is presented annually to a faculty member who has generated new knowledge related to the veterinary profession that has been shared with others by way of publication or presentations at scientific meetings or other methods of dissemination. This award is rotated among the collegiate departments on a yearly basis. The award was presented to Dr. David Brown.

2010 Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award
This award is sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health, and the recipient is selected by the veterinary students. The award was presented to Dr. Tina Clarkson.

This teaching award is presented to the VCS faculty member who third-year students believe to be the most outstanding teacher during their first three years of veterinary school. The award was presented to Dr. Roberto Novo and Dr. Leslie Sharkey.

The clinical teaching award is presented to the VCS faculty member who fourth-year students believe to be the most outstanding clinical teacher during their fourth year of small animal clinical rotations. The award was presented to Dr. Gia Klauss.

The clinical teaching resident award is presented to the VCS resident who the fourth-year small animal track students vote to be the most outstanding clinical teacher during their fourth year of small animal rotations. The award was presented to Dr. Tiffany Granone.

This teaching award is presented to the VPM faculty member who students voted to be the most outstanding teacher during their first three years of veterinary school. The award was presented to Dr. Sandra Godden.

The clinical teaching award is presented to the VPM faculty member who fourth-year large/mixed animal track students voted to be the most outstanding clinical teaching during their fourth year of large animal rotations. The award was presented to Dr. Cindy Wolf.

The clinical teaching resident award is presented to the VPM resident who fourth-year large/mixed animal track students voted to be the most outstanding clinical teacher during their fourth year of large animal rotations. The award was presented to Dr. Stacy Tinkler.

This teaching award is presented to the VBS faculty member who the students voted to be the most outstanding teacher. The award was presented to Dr. Dave Brown.

These teaching awards are presented to two technicians, one from the Small Animal Hospital and one from the Large Animal Hospital, who fourth-year students believe contributed significantly to their clinical year. The awards were presented to Brent Bassett, Small Animal Hospital, and Sonja Field, Large Animal Hospital.

This award is presented to a veterinarian who has left practice to return to the College of Veterinary Medicine as an intern or resident to continue their education and expand their knowledge or to a CVM intern who is staying on to continue his or her education through a residency program at the CVM. Awards were presented to Dr. Sara Wefel and Dr. Shauna Voss.

These awards are presented in recognition of outstanding contributions by a CVM faculty member to student learning through excellence in course coordination. The awards were presented to:

Year 1: Dr. Tom Fletcher, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, for CVM 6100 Veterinary Anatomy

Year 2: Dr. Rob Porter, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, for CVM 6299 Systemic Veterinary Pathology

Year 3: Dr. Julie Wilson, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, for CVM 6410 Large Animal Digestive Disorders

Year 4: Dr. Jed Overmann, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, for CVM 6532 Clinical Laboratory Medicine

Education Day emphasizes excellence in education