Search committee to select new UF College of Veterinary Medicine dean

Top administrators from the University of Florida’s Academic Health Center and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have formed a search committee to recruit the next dean of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.

David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., UF’s senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System, and Jack Payne, Ph.D., senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources at IFAS, met with the committee July 23 to outline their criteria for the next veterinary college dean, who will replace Glen Hoffsis, D.V.M., following his retirement on July 1, 2013.

Committee members were charged with finding a candidate who has a strong vision for the college during these challenging economic times; who can find a balance among all missions of the college; and who is capable of interacting effectively with the many constituencies associated with the college and with UF as a whole.

“Dean Hoffsis has done an excellent job serving the college and the university during his six years at UF,” said Teresa A. Dolan, D.D.S., dean of UF’s College of Dentistry and committee co-chair. “When he retires, he will leave the college in a position of strength and poised for growth, making the deanship an attractive opportunity for a strong academic leader in veterinary medicine.”

Guzick and Payne both requested the committee submit a final unranked list of two to four candidates. The committee will meet next on Sept. 14 and will review initial applications at that time.

Also serving as committee co-chair is John P. Hayes, Ph.D., a professor and dean of research at IFAS. Hayes said the committee would recruit and review a diverse pool of qualified applicants and that he looked forward to the process of selecting the next veterinary college dean.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for a strong leader to build on the tremendous foundation in the college. The college has a strong faculty, great facilities and strong linkages with the academic community within the university, and the professional community and stakeholders across the state,” Hayes said.

Other committee members include John R. Bass, D.V.M., president of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association; Jason Blackburn, Ph.D., an assistant professor in UF’s department of geography, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Benjamin Carter, a senior UF veterinary student; Julia Conway, D.V.M., a clinical assistant professor of anatomical pathology in the veterinary college’s department of infectious diseases and pathology and alumni council chair; Paul Cooke, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the veterinary college’s department of physiological sciences; Amara Estrada, D.V.M., an associate professor of cardiology in the veterinary college’s department of small animal clinical sciences; Tom Frazer, Ph.D., interim director of the School of Natural Resources and Environment; Carlos Risco, D.V.M., a professor of food animal reproduction and medicine in the veterinary college’s department of large animal clinical sciences; Cindy Sanders, Alachua County Extension director and livestock agent; Tara Sabo-Attwood, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of environmental global health at the College of Public Health and Health Professions; and Dana Zimmel, D.V.M., a clinical associate professor and chief of staff of the UF Veterinary Hospitals.

For more information about the committee, visit http://deansearch.vetmed.ufl.edu. Candidates for the position may send resumes/curriculum vitae via email to deansearch@vetmed.ufl.edu.