1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »College of Veterinary Medicine appoints faculty for four professorships

K-State Today

December 14, 2018

College of Veterinary Medicine appoints faculty for four professorships

Submitted by Joe Montgomery

Vet Med endowed professors
The newest endowed professors in the College of Veterinary Medicine, from left: Mary Bagladi-Swanson, Ellyn Mulcahy, Thomas Schermerhorn and David Renter.

A quartet of faculty members in the College of Veterinary Medicine has recently been chosen as the new holders of professorships, each dedicated to promoting different academic areas within the college.

Mary Bagladi-Swanson has been selected for the Pet Tribute Professorship, which goes to a recipient who exhibits scholarly excellence, good communication and leadership skills. The candidate is one whose peers recognize her compassion and true professionalism when working with clients, their owners and students. Bagladi-Swanson is a clinical professor who teaches medicine to third-year veterinary students and a clinical dermatology rotation to fourth-year veterinary students.

David Renter was appointed to the Dr. Robert MacDonald Professorship, which perpetuates the memory and honors the 1940 alumnus who died in 2009. The professorship was established to recruit and retain a faculty member based on professionalism, character and achievements in the field of safe food production from livestock as exemplified by MacDonald. Renter is a professor of epidemiology and serves as director of the Center of Outcomes Research and Epidemiology.

Ellyn Mulcahy was chosen for the Dr. James B. Nichols Master of Public Health Professorship. This appointment is in honor of Nichols, a member of the college's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine class of 1934, to recruit and retain the highest-quality faculty as well as serve as the director of the Master of Public Health program. Nichols died in 2004. In addition to being director of the Master of Public Health program, Mulcahy has an appointment as an associate professor in the diagnostic medicine and pathobiology department in the college.

Thomas Schermerhorn was selected for the Morgan K. "Al" Jarvis Chair in Veterinary Medicine. This appointment is in honor of Jarvis, a member of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine class of 1940, with the intent to recruit and retain the highest-quality faculty to the College of Veterinary Medicine in small animal medicine in the clinical sciences department. Jarvis died in 1972. Schermerhorn is a professor of small animal internal medicine and teaches medicine and pharmacology to second-year veterinary students, clinical skills and clinical pharmacology to third-year veterinary students, and small animal internal medicine to fourth-year veterinary students.

"Endowed professorships allow the college to reward and retain talented faculty in key positions," said Bonnie Rush, interim dean of the college. "These awardees have demonstrated excellence in mission critical areas: graduate and professional education, clinical service and research."

In addition to these newly appointed professorships, six faculty currently hold endowed professorships or chaired positions:

Robert Larson — The Edgar E. and M. Elizabeth Coleman Chair.
Daniel Thomson — The W.S. and E.C. Jones Departmental Chair of Clinical Epidemiology.
Kenneth Harkin — Steven and Colleen Hodes Professorship in Veterinary Medicine.
James Roush — Roy and Lucille M. Doughman Professorship.
Derek Mosier — Dr. Roy Walter Upham Endowed Professorship.
Michael Apley — The Edwin J. Frick Chair.

Selections for the new professorships were chosen by a committee composed of College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members Peying Fong, Rose McMurphy and Brad Njaa.