On Wednesday afternoon, the second of three nominees competing for the position of the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine held an open forum with faculty, students and staff.

Daniel Grooms, former department chair of large animal science at Michigan State University (MSU), sparked the opening of his forum by revealing a little bit of his personality.

Grooms did not open with a presentation for the audience to see. Instead, he had a discussion rather than a lecture.

“I hate going and listening to lectures, so I told myself as I evolved, why would I want to lecture people?” Grooms said.

He then pointed out some familiar faces in the crowd, and introduced them to the crowd. A former student from MSU that now works with ISU was present at the forum. Grooms then moved on by introducing himself and his past.

Academically, he holds multiple degrees, including but not limited to a Ph.D. at Ohio State, a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from Cornell in 1985 and both graduate and undergraduate professional teaching experience. Since 1997, Grooms has been a faculty member at MSU with the official title, ‘beef cattle research and extension’.

Personally, Grooms grew in a rural community in Ohio. His father was an agriculture teacher while his mother was a nurse. Grooms’ mom ended up directing a nursing program in Ohio, which introduced Grooms to more than the rural life he previously lived. He primarily worked on infectious diseases in cattle, and focused a lot on the dairy industry.

Very active in agriculture, Grooms showed leadership in many local organizations. He was a leader in FFA, involved in 4-H and heavily engrossed in team sports. When Grooms was in college he was an athlete, playing for the Cornell football team.

When Grooms was in college he had many mentors guiding him. Three mentors that Grooms has all happened to at some point be deans, inspiring him to do the same.

“Boy, you know, that’s something I aspire to do,” Grooms said after explaining the impact that the deans had on him.

As a potential future dean at Iowa State University, Grooms had a few main points that he stressed in the forum. In particular, he had one goal that he stated was very important to him.

“The main goal of the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, whether it is here at Iowa State, Michigan State or Ohio state, is really to help the whole organization succeed, but especially the faculty, and especially the students as well,” Grooms said.

To Grooms, success throughout the Iowa State University and the College of Veterinary Medicine is pivotal.

Another angle that Grooms discussed was leadership and the style that he possesses. Mainly from his experience with teams in football and sports, Grooms learned that for him, teamwork is the best way to lead.

“I’m a believer in team leadership. I basically build a team around me and we make decisions as a team,” said Grooms.

Grooms then stated that if Iowa State University was looking for a dictator as a dean, then he is not the right fit.

“I will not be a dictator. If you’re looking for a dictator in a leadership position, I’m the wrong person,” Grooms said.

Following that statement, Grooms said, “If you are looking for somebody that will work hard to create effective leadership teams that can make joint decisions for the best of the college, for the university and society in general, then I would strive to do that.”

Another main aspect of Grooms discussion was vision. Beginning the topic of vision, Grooms told the audience that the College of Veterinary Medicine is already doing well.

“You know what? You guys have done a pretty good job of putting together a strategic plan for the next five years,” said Grooms.

Grooms then began to stress that partnership is a necessary virtue for a successful education and college.

“The future of Veterinary Medicine education is going to rely on strategic partnerships,” Grooms said.

Furthering partnership, Grooms went into detail about diversity and how it is crucial to a successful college. As a land-grant university, Grooms said that he was impressed with Iowa State.

“What I see here is a culture, a commitment to the ideals of land-grant universities,” Grooms said. “My goal is to help the organization and people move forward.”