Tidewater Community College DEAN FRANK AWARD
Good evening, everyone,
It is with great honor that we gather here tonight to present the Dean Frank Award, an award created to honor the legacy of Dean Greg Frank, our first dean during the creation of the veterinary programs at Tidewater Community College. Dean Frank's hard work, unwavering support, and dedication laid the foundation for the successful programs we have today.
Each year, we select a member of our community who embodies the spirit of this award by providing exceptional support to our programs. This year's recipient not only supports our veterinary programs but also invests deeply in our students. Through mentorship, and the creation of a strong learning environment, combined with continuous encouragement, they not only inspire our students, but they foster an environment for growth and exploration of all that veterinary medicine has to offer.
The recipient of this year's Dean Frank Award is a pillar of our surrounding communities, contributing to the improvement and sustainability of the Tidewater area and our veterinary community. A DVM. A business owner. A husband. A father to a teenage daughter. As well as wearing the hat of President of the Tidewater Veterinary Academy. The recipient of this year's Dean Frank Award is not a stranger to knowing what it takes to be successful both professionally and personally.
It is with great pleasure that I announce the recipient of this year's Dean Frank Award: Dr. Andrew Silverstone.
Dr. Silverstone, on behalf of the TCC Veterinary Program faculty and all the students you have mentored and guided over the years, we thank you. Your contributions are deeply appreciated, and we recognize that we could not graduate the well-rounded, skilled, and capable students that we do without your support.
Thank you, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration with you.
Dean Siobhan Harris, members of the faculty, honored guests and our class of 2023, good evening.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the pinning ceremony of the Tidewater Community College Veterinary Technology Program. I extend my warmest congratulations to our graduates who are receiving their pins today and joining the profession of veterinary technology.
First, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge all the support our graduates have received from friends and family to help them reach this momentous goal. To the family and friends who are here, thank you for the encouragement you have offered your student over the last 2 years and in many cases, the sacrifices that you have made so that they could achieve their dream. Graduates, if we can take a moment to acknowledge and honor all those you supported you both near and far during your academic journey.
Graduating today are 24 individuals who had the drive, work ethic, and dedication to complete this rigorous academic program. To get to today, you had to complete nearly 900 hours of lecture. You participated in numerous laboratories and field trips, which involved working with not only dogs and cats, but horses, sheep, cows, snakes, rabbits, rats, birds, and chickens, just to name a few. You had to endure multiple intense practical hands-on exams in anesthesia, surgical nursing, clinical pathology, hospital nursing, and anatomy and physiology. I think our graduates can agree that there is nothing so terrifying as performing a clinical skill while a faculty member with a clip board analyzes and critiques your every move. We are here today to celebrate the hard work that you put into earning this degree and all that you have accomplished.
In our graduates today, we have veterinary technicians that are highly accomplished, highly skilled, passionate, and engaged in many aspects of the veterinary industry. We have graduates that are currently working in specialty practices, helping patients with advanced medical and surgical issues. We have graduates that are staffing busy 24 hour veterinary hospitals where critical care intensive procedures are used to save beloved pets. We have graduates who are interested in going into laboratory animal research, where animals are used to create and develop new medical treatments for humans. We have graduates who are interested in continuing their education, so that they can become a VTS, a veterinary technician specialist and offer the highest level of care in a particular field of veterinary medicine.
Graduates this is just the beginning of your journey. As you reflect back on your time at Tidewater Community College, I hope you always remember the passion and drive that got you to where you are today. I hope you never lose the feeling of this supportive, close-knit community that we have created. I hope you never forget where you started so that you will continue to inspire the next generation who enters the field.
Class of 2023, I offer my congratulations.