Our impact extends far beyond College Station, and we aspire to expand our reach across Texas, the nation, and the world. Outreach is our opportunity to help communities that need a lift, engage all stakeholders, and share our story. It is a way we can actively live our mission and share our innovations, educational expertise, and knowledge.
Goal 1: Invest in our local community.
- Coordinate our outreach efforts. Staff in the CVM Offices of Communication and Diversity & Inclusion will commit to meeting regularly to coordinate our community outreach program.
- Host community events. The college will develop a portfolio of community events that CVM faculty, staff, and students can get involved in (e.g., local school science fairs, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, food pantries, Health Happy Horse, developing podcasts).
- Encourage and recognize students, staff, and faculty who participate in community outreach.
Goal 2: Develop agricultural collaborations that serve Texas.
- Fully realize the potential of the Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) initiative. The CVM continues to invest in West Texas and animal agriculture through the rapid expansion of VERO. We have constructed new facilities, hired industry and academic leaders, and developed outreach to the region. The college is deeply committed to expanding this effort through a 2+2 DVM program, a fourth-year DVM student rotation, and enhancements to our outreach/research program.
- Engage stakeholder groups. We will expand our interactions through events such as the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Texas Southwest Cattle Raiser Meeting, Beef Cattle Short Course, and key stock shows and state fairs.
- Become a hub for outbreak preparedness. The CVM is internationally known for its expertise in animal infectious disease and epidemiology and has the potential to respond to outbreaks through its Veterinary Emergency Team (VET), as well as collaborations with external entities. We will seek to systematically grow this capacity in a world where infectious disease events will be more global and bioterrorism remains a continued risk.
Goal 3: Engage in strategic fundraising.
- Identify and update development priorities. We will review major giving priorities, assign a development officer to each department, and create open channels for faculty and staff to request funding assistance.
- Engage the CVM students, staff, and faculty. The Development team will inform the college about development team members and impacts, communicate development priorities openly, reach out to DVM and Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) graduates, and celebrate our successes.
- Bring consistency to our messaging. We will strengthen the relationship between the CVM’s Offices of Communications and Development to create marketing and branding materials for development that have uniform and clear language. We will enhance our use of platforms such as video, social media, packets/templates, and news stories.
- Build donor-centric culture within CVM. We envision better systems to identify donors and friends of the college; the establishment of a grateful client program; the institution of training key individuals on donor relations; and the continued promotion of faculty, student, and staff stewardship of donor relationships.
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