Alumnus sees an Exciting Future for Vet Med
For nine years Steve Juelsgaard worked and studied at Iowa State, and he believes it was one of the greatest periods of his life. It was the people, the opportunity to study and learn, he says. I’ve always enjoyed learning.
His $500,000 commitment to the College of Veterinary Medicine, which helped create the new Dr. W. Eugene and Linda Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, goes right to the heart of his belief in the benefits of education.
If at some point in your life you have the capability to give back to those institutions or people who helped put you on your path in life, he says, it’s really important to make good on that and to give back.
Steve grew up on his parents’ grain and livestock farm near Audubon and now lives in Woodside, Calif. He serves as executive vice president and chief compliance officer for Genentech in South San Francisco, a company that uses human genetic information to discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize biotherapeutics. He supervises human resources, government affairs, security, facilities planning, environmental health and safety, compliance, and the legal group.
At Iowa State, Steve studied for a career in veterinary medicine. After receiving his doctorate in vet med in 1972 and a master’s in veterinary clinical science in 1975, he completed a juris doctor degree at Stanford University. I’m in the field of biological sciences, he says. There are many different educational experiences in the field, from physiology to molecular biology.
The future of those with veterinary degrees is expansive, he says, because you can take what you learn into a variety of settings. He hopes today’s students realize the full range of opportunities they may have. There are so many other possibilities besides teaching, research and the practice of veterinary medicine.
Steve’s contribution to Iowa State comes from a deep desire to see the veterinary college reestablish the preeminence it once had as a teaching facility. I believe very, very strongly in education, he says. Dean John Thomson is really dedicated to achieving a status that will see the college ranked among the top veterinary colleges in the United States. It’s important to support faculty and the programs in order to lead toward a great educational facility.
He encourages anybody who has received an education at Iowa State to give back to the extent they are able to do so. It really provides the ability to give a great education to the next generation. It doesn’t matter what your capabilities are. I think you’ll find it rewarding that you’ve done something so great, and so ennobling. It’s the right thing to do.
