College of Veterinary Medicine Hosts 55th Annual International Veterinary Student Association Summer Congress
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