The College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health

Sciences will be the host the 2006 International Veterinary Student

Association (IVSA) Summer Congress. This is the first time the IVSA will

visit the State of California and only the second time the conference is

to be held in the US. The organizing committee at WesternU is expecting

to draw up to 150 international and domestic veterinary students to the

ten day event highlighting innovative veterinary education. The

conference dates are July 19-29, 2006. The students will travel to

several California locations and hold meetings and lectures at various

universities including: the University of California, San Diego;

California Polytechnic University, Pomona; San Francisco State University

and University of California, Davis. The students at UC Davis have a

committee that has been working in cooperation with WesternU for the 10-

day event. This is also the first time two different US veterinary

colleges, with two different curriculum, are working together to bring

the Summer Congress to the United States.

The mission of the 2006 IVSA Congress is to advance international

veterinary education through the exchange of ideas and strategic

partnerships between global veterinary student communities. The

organizing committee at WesternU, led by Co-Chairs Karen Eiler (DVM 2007)

and Terence Krentz (DVM 2008) are doing every thing to bring the

congresses mission for 2006 to fruition. The initial plans began last

year and the student committee has now begun to finalize the program

schedule, secure accommodations and transportation, and create a website

for students to apply for participation. They are also still actively

fundraising to meet the financial demands of conference this size and

importance. The IVSA itself imposes a registration fee of $275 euros per

student, the travel, lodging and remaining conference expenses are

covered by the organizing committee, which is a large margin to fill. So

far, sponsorships have been made by the Student American Veterinary

Medical Association (SAVMA), Banfield, the Pet Hospital, VPI, Elsevier,

Novartis, AAHA, and Purina. As of January 2006, the organizing committee

has met approximately 60% of their goal.

To learn more about the 2006 IVSA Summer Congress, please visit

www.ivsacongress.com/index.php .

Privately funded, innovative, and meeting the needs of a changing

society, the College of Veterinary Medicine at WesternU stands at the

forefront of a paradigm shift in veterinary medical education. We are

educating a new generation of veterinary doctors