Thrilled. Exhilarated. Challenged. Inspired. These have been my emotional states of mind over the past several weeks as I stepped up as interim dean of this great college. I keep reminding myself that this is what everyone goes through when they start a new position.

I am thrilled to lead the College in a time of strength. Over the past decade, we have doubled our annual budget, increased our faculty positions by a third, and witnessed strong growth in our veterinary research productivity. The strength of our people and programs creates opportunities to add tremendous value to the veterinary profession and fulfill our mission of improving the health of animals, people, and the environment.

I am exhilarated by our broad portfolio of high-quality programs. Every day I get to dive into the details of stellar programs driven by smart, dedicated, compassionate people. Of course, not every program is where it wants to be, but the seeds of greatness are there—just waiting to flourish.

I am challenged by the enormity and complexity of our purpose. On the days when it seems that our opportunities outnumber our assets, I remember that our college benefits from numerous community partnerships. We do not and should not work alone. I also remind myself to introduce liberating structures—those small shifts in the way we meet, plan, decide, and communicate with one another that can connect us in new ways.

I am inspired by the people around me—our students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Our collective knowledge, creativity, and capacity to deliver life-changing education, lifesaving service, and life-advancing research fuels my desire to keep this college growing. By the time you read this, I’ll be closer to completing my first 100 days as interim dean. I am loving the daily opportunity to learn about this great college, the people who make it successful, and the opportunity to humbly lead such a great team. We are pleased to focus your attention on several parts of the college in this issue of Profiles. You can read more about us online at profiles-vetmed.umn.edu.

Thank you for reading!