With ground-breaking studies conducted and a new building dedicated this week, Richard F. Ross, dean and distinguished professor in veterinary medicine, unveiled new initiatives for the College of Veterinary Medicine at its convocation.

The convocation was held Tuesday at the Veterinary Medicine building.

“What does it take to get to the goals of our strategic plan?” Ross asked during his speech. “Hard work, enthusiasm, vision, innovation and luck.”

The college is celebrating an increase in revenue in many of its departments and saluting new discoveries in the swine and cattle industries.

The college also is welcoming close to 34 new faculty and staff members into its designated departments this year, including Richard Martin, the new chairman of the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

New curriculum, planning and outreach is in store this year, Ross said. The college is trying to stay up-to-date with the changing face of the veterinary medical industry, including creating new programs and curriculum centered around business and finance.

During the convocation, Ross introduced plans to conduct an economic impact study.

“We’re looking at trying to get a survey of Iowa practices to look at the impact,” he said, “particularly of the small animal/equine practice in the Iowa communities as we attempt to make the case for additional resources, particularly facilities for the veterinary teaching hospital.”

International outreach and study also is an initiative this semester. Students leave for Beijing today to learn basic acupuncture, a fast-growing field in the industry.

Other faculty continue to attend meetings in Amsterdam, Germany and the Ukraine to speak to and advise overseas faculty on veterinary medical education.

The Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics is planning to travel to Mongolia, Costa Rica and Africa to speak on a variety of topics including harmonization and hog cholera.

Expansion of the college was another highlight of the convocation. Thursday, the Livestock Infectious Disease Isolation Facility was dedicated. The hope for the new building is that it will “improve and update animal research at ISU,” said Eileen Thacker, researcher in immunology.

Although the building won’t be ready until Oct. 1, there already is a waiting list for potential users.

“This building will better enable our researchers to address disease problems reported by livestock producers and make them more competitive for research funding,” said Joan Hopper, director of lab animal research.

The building will be used primarily for the research and study of animal infectious disease.