First, some bittersweet news. Three of our long-standing faculty and staff -- Becky Badimassoud, Sheila McGuirk, and Chris Olsen -- are retiring in the coming months. I want to thank each of them for all that they've done to create the school that we all know and love and wish them all the best in their retirement.

Thanks to individuals like these, our school boasts many achievements, and I'd like to highlight several recent accomplishments on the research side of things. Over the last three years, the school has doubled its research grant support from $10.9 million in FY12 to $21.7 million in FY15. This success is a testament to our faculty, staff, and students who advance the research mission of the school to the benefit of both animal and human health.

I'm also pleased to announce that the school has initiated a formal DVM/PhD program. We are still working out some of the details, but we anticipate admitting a total of eight students over the course of the next eight years and maintaining that number going forward. Look for more information on the program in the coming weeks and months.

One final research highlight - our Fall Research Day will be held on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, followed by an All-SVM Gathering at 4:30 p.m. in the second floor lounge. This event enables all of our students, and our first-year students in particular, to be exposed to the broad array of research activities that occur throughout the school.

I'm happy to announce that the school is actively moving forward with its Capital Campaign to raise the funds necessary to build an attached addition to the Veterinary Medicine Building in the west half of lot 62. We will be holding a number of campaign events in the coming months, including one in Milwaukee in September, one in Madison in October, and two in Florida in the winter. These will be coordinated with campus Comprehensive Campaign events. The public launch of UW-Madison's Comprehensive Campaign will be in October.

Last, but certainly not least, the All-SVM Gathering this month is in Marshall Park adjacent to my house in Middleton on Sept. 11 at 5:00 p.m. I look forward to seeing you there. Have a great year!