In just seven short years as the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. John Thomson will be retiring from this leadership role. However, in the brief amount of time he spent heading the College of Veterinary Medicine, he has left quite a legacy. A graduate of Iowa State himself, Thomson will not be leaving his alma mater for good — he’ll transition into an ISU faculty member.

Back in 2004, the college was near losing its accreditation. In 2003, the American Veterinary Medical Association visited the ISU veterinary medicine school and did not grant the college full accreditation. Years ago, the facilities at the college were deteriorating. There was no air-conditioning in the large animal facilities, which could have potentially posed a problem to biosecurity. If the College of Veterinary Medicine did not improve its facilities, it would be in danger of not being an accredited college.

In an interview with the Daily in 2005, Thomson mentioned he hoped to have plans finalized and the project finished within five years.

Now, in 2010, the College of Veterinary Medicine has secured full accreditation and has undergone the necessary renovations to the Dr. W. Eugene and Linda Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center that were required. New staff was hired and allowed more research to take place at the college. None of it would have been possible without him.

Thomson’s leadership in rejuvenating a college on the brink of losing its accreditation is inspiring. In a very short amount of time, the college made a complete turnaround. Everything Thomson promised to be accomplished was carried through and now the College of Veterinary Medicine boasts a $48 million newly renovated facility for students and researchers. In 2012, the small animal hospital will also be revamped and expanded thanks to Thomson’s time spent securing funding for the endeavor.

The dedication it took to transform an entire scholarly entity is hard to ignore.

So, as the Editorial Board reflected on Thomson’s accomplishments, it is safe to say he has shown the kind of dedication to his career that we can only hope one day we’ll live up to. We talked about everything he’d accomplished and came to the conclusion that Thomson is a cool guy. We don’t mean to undermine his accomplishments by referring to him as such; in fact, it’s hard to describe how inspiring it is to see an ISU alum enact such positive change throughout his career.

This type of dedication requires passion, and it is obvious that Thomson displayed it throughout his career. Prior to coming to Iowa State to serve as a dean, he was in private practice for more than 20 years and has been named “Veterinarian of the Year” in Iowa, Mississippi and South Dakota. In 1997, the governor of South Dakota declared June 13 “Dr. John U. Thomson Day,” according to a press release from the Iowa Farm Bureau.

We were lucky to have such a positive role model take on a leadership position at Iowa State and prove that passion, hard work and dedication are the most important components of success. While the College of Veterinary Medicine will miss his leadership, we’re lucky he won’t be leaving Iowa State for good.

So here’s to Dr. Thomson. Thank you for being an inspiration to not only veterinarians, but to all students with goals and drive.