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Vet Gazette

Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine eNewsletter

Veterinarians and Faculty Join Students in Learning Experience

October 10th, 2011

The halls of Magruder witnessed some unusual behavior a few weeks ago: blindfolded students being led around by their colleagues, small circles of people laughing, and professors acting like elephants. Did Halloween come early? No, it was the first annual Oregon Leadership and Dedicated Service (OLEADS) event. Hosted by the OSU College of VeterinaryMedicine (CVM), the event was organized by the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA) with a goal of providing interactive learning experiences to promote successful servant leadership through awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, personal growth, and community building.

The opening session of the event was kicked off with introductory remarks from Dean Clarke, who participated in many of the weekend activities. “These activities are examples of the initiative and drive demonstrated by our veterinary students as they create and take advantage of opportunities to extend their education beyond the limits of formal curriculum,” he says.

The OLEADS program is a condensed version of the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Experience (VLE) and consists of a series of lecture presentations, group activities, and peer-peer collaboration that emphasizes servant leadership, emotional intelligence, teamwork, and communication. Dr. Rick DeBowes, one of the founders of the VLE and a faculty member at Washington State University CVM, presented the program. Dr. DeBowes shared his contagious excitement and enthusiasm as he encouraged everyone to step outside their comfort zones with group dance routines and other challenging small-group workshops.

CVM faculty, local veterinarians, representatives of the AVMA, and a Banfield representative joined the students in the activities. It was a great opportunity for participants to get know each other and SCAVMA plans to encourage even more particiaption next year. “Everyone involved had a great time and felt it was a weekend well spent,” says student Steen Smith. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to Giovanna Coto of the class of 2014 for her hard work in organizing this exciting and enlightening event.”

OLEADS thanks the following sponsors: SCAVMA, Purina, Live Oak Bank, IAMS, Banfield, Bayer, PLIT, OVMA, Novartis, AVMA GHLIT, Oregon Beef Council, Dairy Farmers of Oregon, Oregon Dairy Council, Oregon Potato Commission, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

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