CVM home > Deans' Office > Assistant and Associate Deans
Assistant and Associate Dean Responsibilities
January 2008
Bruce L. Akey, Assistant Dean for Diagnostic Operations
Location: D2 009 Diagnostic Laboratory
Email: bla7@cornell.edu
Assistant: Jamie Abbott,
jla59@cornell.edu, 253-3782
Serve as Executive Director responsible for leadership and development of Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) operations.
- Develop strategic plans to guide the operations of the AHDC
- Operational management, oversight of programs and service units within the AHDC
- Coordination of test method development and test validation efforts within the AHDC
- Oversee the preparation and administration of budgets
- Ensure that finances of all the programs and service units are administered in compliance with regulations and policies
- Negotiate service fee subsidies
- Coordinate detailed planning of the new building to house AHDC programs
- Serve on the IT Prioritization Committee representing diagnostic services needs
- Assist the Associate Dean for Public Policy in communications and coordination of activities of the AHDC with State and Federal agencies:
- Communicate regularly with the NYS Veterinarian and USDA Area Veterinarian in Charge
- Interact with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and NYS Department of Health
- Interact with the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories for coordination of regulatory testing issues
- Represent the AHDC at activities of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN)
- Maintain accreditation and represent professional interests:
- Represent the AHDC before the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD)
- Maintain AAVLD accreditation
- Implement and maintain a Quality Assurance system
- Represent the AHDC before the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) or other similar organizations
Judith A. Appleton, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Location: Dean's Suite, S2005 Schurman Hall
Email: jaa2@cornell.edu
Assistant: Jill Short,
jms31@cornell.edu, 253-3472
Facilitate, advance and implement academic affairs.
- Facilitate tenure and promotion decisions
- Develop policies and consensus surrounding academic titles at the College, including articulated expectations for tenure and promotion
- Serve as the College liaison with the National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant
- Create mechanisms and programs for faculty diversity and development in partnership with the department chairs and other related committees/groups regarding recruitment, retention and career development of faculty
- Respond to a variety of institutional requests and annual reports for the Provost related to our efforts in faculty development, recruitment and diversity, and climate related issues, including dual career support, child care accommodations, etc.
- Ensure career development and mentoring opportunities exist, particularly for probationary tenure-track faculty, explore and implement appropriate models with department chairs
- Coordinate faculty compensation recommendations for new hires, merit programs and other recognition and reward programs to ensure equity and parity across scientific and clinical disciplines
- Review offer letters to ensure appropriate start-up packages and the development of common templates for faculty position descriptions in hiring, standards for effort assignment in probationary track faculty
- Coordinate faculty leaves (including sabbatical leave approvals, parental leaves, etc.) including retirement planning in coordination with the department chairs
- Participate in CVM Advisory Council meetings and other special events as appropriate or required to represent the college to other external audiences such as SUNY representatives, corporate sponsors, stakeholders and government leaders
- Work in close partnership with the other Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and Directors to implement process improvements, planning and program decisions
- Work in close collaboration with the CVM Office of Human Resources
Katherine Edmondson, Assistant Dean for Learning and Instruction
Location: S2012 Schurman Hall
Email: kme2@cornell.edu
Assistant: Nicole Woodhull,
nw34@cornell.edu, 253-3772
Provide support for the educational mission of the college as it pertains to the education of veterinary students. This includes the areas of:
Provide support for the faculty, including:
- Faculty development activities
- Consulting on matters related to teaching, learning, and curriculum design
- Development of curriculum materials
- Evaluation of teaching and learning
- Oversight of educational facilities (classrooms, laboratories)
- Educational computing and technologies
Provide administrative support to standing committees of the faculty: the Admissions Committee and the Curriculum Committee.
Responsible for annual College events and programs, including:
- The Honor Banquet for the graduating class
- The College's Hooding Ceremony
- Reception following Commencement
- New Student Orientation
- The Career Connections Forum
- The White Coat ceremony
- Open House
- Tutor Training Workshops
Robert O. Gilbert, Associate Dean for Clinical Programs
Location: Dean's Suite, S2005 Schurman Hall
Email: rog1@cornell.edu
Assistant: Jill Short,
jms31@cornell.edu, 253-3472
Provide leadership and promote advancement of clinical and diagnostic programs, including:
- Oversight of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA), the Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), the professional service component of the pathology program and Laboratory Animal Services, specifically providing leadership to the Hospital Director, Assistant Dean for Diagnostic Operations, Dr. Bruce L. Akey, and Dr. Michele M. Bailey, Associate Vice Provost, Center for Animal Resources and Education
- Ensure these operations and the associated leaders are integrated with the programs, priorities and initiatives of the rest of the college
- Work in close collaboration with the Department Chair(s) of Clinical Sciences, Population Medicine & Diagnostic Sciences and Biomedical Sciences, as well as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, to facilitate the effective integration of the teaching hospital and the diagnostic laboratory in Departmental and College affairs. Oversee internship and residency programs, and the integration of veterinary students within CUHA to insure effective clinical education
- Develop fair and consistent standards for clinical program staff and work closely with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to develop programs to appropriately evaluate and reward clinical contributions and ensure consistent standards of scholarly activities and achievements in the clinical and diagnostic domains
- Provide executive oversight of these operations to ensure appropriate budgetary, financial stewardship, and risk management issues are addressed and controlled, while also preserving or enhancing the DVM educational experience, and clinical or diagnostic operations necessary for referring veterinarians, other clients/practitioners or New York State, i.e., developing strategies to offset growing deficits due to UVIS, etc.
- Advocate for appropriate resource allocation to meet needs in CUHA, the AHDL, and LAS, and serve as an advocate for programs or initiatives in the professional services domain
- Represent the clinical programs on IT prioritization committees, or other executive sponsorship needs
- Participate in appropriate fund raising and stake holder events or development initiatives related to clinical programs and priorities, and in close collaboration with the College Alumni Affairs & Development group and the Associate Dean for Governmental Affairs
- Participate in CVM Advisory Council meetings and other special events as appropriate or required to represent the college to other external audiences such as SUNY representatives, corporate sponsors, stakeholders and government leaders
- Work in close partnership with the other Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and Directors to implement process improvements, planning and program decisions
- Work in close collaboration with the CVM Office of Human Resources, and other appropriate administrative offices
Robert F. Gilmour, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education
Location: S3020 Schurman Hall
Email: rfg2@cornell.edu
Assistant: Laura Mathews,
lam78@cornell.edu, 253-3755
- Provide administrative support and leadership for the College's research programs, graduate education and summer research programs
- Oversee post doctoral associate, research associate and senior research associate appointment, promotion, and compensation levels
- Oversight of conflict of interest issues
- Director the Veterinary Investigator Program (VIP)
- Ad hoc member of the College Research Council, the Oversight Committee of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate program and the Zweig Fund for Equine Research Committee
- Reader for the CVM Admissions Committee
- Associate Director of the Cornell University Agriculture Experiment Station
- Member of the advisory boards for the Biomedical Engineering program, the Cornell Center for Technology, Commercialization and Enterprise (CCTEC) and the Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC)
Kevin Mahaney, Assistant Dean for Alumni Affairs, Development and Communications
Location: S1002 Schurman Hall
Email: km70@cornell.edu
Assistant: Tracey Colwell,
tjc25@cornell.edu, 253-3779
Provide strategic leadership for Alumni Affairs, Development and Communications programs in support of the college's mission and priorities, including
- Alumni Affairs and Development programs that increase participation, involvement and financial support for the college.
- College-wide fund raising programs, including individual giving, Annual Fund, corporate and foundation support and planned giving.
- Alumni Affairs and Development efforts involving prominent programs such as the Cornell Hospital for Animals, Baker Institute, and Feline Health Center.
- Alumni Association and College Advisory Council.
- Alumni and Development events and programs including Reunion, alumni and affiliate receptions, homecoming, faculty speakers, as well as fundraising and donor recognition events.
- Coordination with university AA&D functions including alumni and donor records, gift management, acknowledgments, endowment reporting and donor stewardship.
- College-wide communications, marketing, media relations and publications, including college magazine, annual report, CatWatch, DogWatch, and web content development.
- Primary liaison with university divisions of Alumni Affairs and Development and Communications and Marketing, with reporting lines to the Dean of the College and the Director of College and Unit Alumni Affairs and Development.
Alfonso Torres, Associate Dean for Public Policy 
Location: S2008 Schurman Hall
Email: at97@cornell.edu
Assistant: Lisa Westcott,
lew1@cornell.edu, 253-3480
Government Relations
- Coordination with Local, State and Federal legislative bodies and government agencies, except federal extramural granting agencies
- Liaison with Cornell's Community and Government Relations offices
- Liaison with AAVMC and AVMA in relation to legislative initiatives, public health programs and international programs
- Liaison with State or National agricultural or animal health organizations
International Programs
- Chair the Expanding Horizons faculty committee
- Coordination with animal health international agencies
- College representative to Cornell's International Studies Advisory Council (ISAC)
- College coordinator for international agreements
Biosafety Programs
- Supervise College's Biosafety Programs
- Act as College's Emergency Management Coordinator
- Serve on Cornell's Safety Health Environmental Risk Management (SHERM) Board
Special Projects
- Evaluation of Public Health educational and research opportunities
- Executive Sponsor for the Animal Health Diagnostic Center building
- Member of the Executive Committee for a new Equine Drug Testing building
Lorin D. Warnick, Associate Dean for Veterinary Curriculum
Location: S2008 Schurman Hall
Email: ldw3@cornell.edu
Assistant: Lisa Westcott,
lew1@cornell.edu, 253-3480
Assistant: Noa Zaslavski,
nz42@cornell.edu, 253-3507
- Promote educational programs, including the DVM curriculum, in these areas:
Curricular content and organization
Coordination of Curriculum and Syllabus committees
Evaluation of courses and faculty teaching as it relates to curriculum development
Curricular outcomes assessment - Review admissions policies
- Oversee veterinary library
- Continuing education
Gene R. Wheeler, Assistant Dean for Finance & Administration
Location: S2054 Schurman Hall
Email: grw2@cornell.edu
Assistant: Gwen Isham,
gi10@cornell.edu, 253-3773
- Chief Business Officer for the College
- Provide leadership, oversight and executive staff expertise to the College and its' departments for issues related to the management of:
financial and human resources
equipment, facilities and the physical infrastructure
information technology - Provide oversight for department administrators relating to fiscal management of their units
- Serve as a member of the Dean's Executive Staff, the College Executive Committee, and CVM's representative to the University College Officers and Senior Financial Groups