Steak on the line as Colorado State University veterinary dean rallies scholarship support in #VetBet

Steak on the line as Colorado State University veterinary dean rallies scholarship support in #VetBet

Note to Reporters: Photos of CSU vet students getting fired up for the game are available with this news release online at www.news.colostate.edu.

FORT COLLINS – One is staking ribeyes, the other locally grown olive oil.

Sounds like the beginnings of a great meal, but it’s a wager between the deans of top veterinary programs leading up to the Aggies vs. Rams football game in Fort Collins on Saturday. The University of California, Davis and Colorado State University are home to the No. 2 and No. 3 veterinary schools in the nation; each veterinary dean hopes to be No. 1 in the gridiron contest – and in generating donations to veterinary student scholarships.

It’s the #VetBet!

As their teams face off in football, Dr. Mark Stetter, dean of the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Michael Lairmore, dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, are challenging supporters to channel fan enthusiasm into scholarship funds for vet students.

To donate to scholarships for CSU veterinary students, visit https://advancing.colostate.edu/CVMBS/SCHOLARSHIP.

“I plan to have my steak and eat it, too,” proclaimed Stetter, who worked for years as the top veterinarian for Walt Disney Co. before joining CSU two years ago. “The Rams are favored in the football game, and I’d rather have interdigital phlegmon than see our rivals best us in the VetBet challenge.”

(That’s “footrot” for you non-veterinary smack-talkers.)

“I know both institutions value strong veterinary medical programs, and I look forward to enjoying Colorado steak from my friend and colleague, Dr. Stetter,” Lairmore, a CSU alumnus, deadpanned.

Lest fans think the #VetBet is all in fun, there’s a serious underpinning: Many veterinary students need support to avoid significant college debt. The CSU Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program is addressing the concern with a strong new emphasis on career counseling and financial education.

In a nod to the university’s agricultural roots, Stetter is buying steaks for the wager from the well-known CSU Meat Sciences program. And he doesn’t want to give them up.

“Come on, Rams fans! Donate to veterinary scholarships,” Stetter urged. “I don’t want to eat crow. I want to keep my steak!”

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