“Vision without action is just a dream.”

That’s just one of the phrases with which John Thomson, candidate for the dean position in the College of Veterinary Medicine, peppered his Thursday presentation to describe his administrative style and the direction he would like to take the college.

“Veterinary medicine is a great opportunity to serve,” he said. “I feel passionately that we are private individuals working for our state … for things that are critical to society.”

Thomson is the fourth candidate for the dean position to visit Iowa State since College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Norm Cheville announced his retirement in August 2003. Of the other candidates — Eleanor Myers Green, Laura Jill McCutcheon, and Warwick Arden — two rejected offers for the position, and one was not offered the job.

Alicia Carriquiry, associate provost and member of the search committee, said Thomson had initially withdrawn his name from the list of possible candidates, and only after the first three were out of the running did Thomson accept an invitation to visit.

Thomson said he initially withdrew his name because he didn’t want it to become public. At the time the college first deemed him a candidate for the position, he said, it was the 30th anniversary of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State, and he didn’t want to put a damper on the festivities.

“I have a lot of support back in Mississippi, and I didn’t want to give the wrong impression,” Thomson said. “I didn’t want to send the wrong message to the students, faculty, and the Mississippi State donors who have given a lot.”

During Thomson’s public forum, he compared the work of administrators to participating in road races, which he said he had been active in during his life.

“When you’re running and you see people ahead, you try to visualize reeling them in,” he said. “And you don’t just want to pass someone, you want to blow by them.”

Thomson spent little of his half-hour presentation on what Iowa State can specifically do, choosing instead to focus on what he sees as the challenges of veterinary medicine in the future.

“We are at a pivotal point right now,” Thomson said. “Careful decisions must be made, or we will lose a lot of opportunities.”

Several members of the standing-room only audience commented on Thomson’s background and experience and what he could bring to Iowa State.

“He has a proven track record,” said Mark Braunschmidt, sophomore in veterinary medicine.

“He makes things happen; he’s passionate about veterinary medicine.”

Kevan Flaming, adjunct assistant professor and instructional development specialist in veterinary medicine, said out of all the candidates, Thomson has the most varied background.

“The other candidates were more career academics,” Flaming said. “I don’t think they were as attuned to the needs of the state as he would be.”

Almost everyone agreed that Thomson would be an ideal fit for Iowa State.

“He’s leaps and bounds ahead of the competition,” Braunschmidt said. “He’s a strong candidate that has the ability to take the university and the college to the next level.”