National Veterinary Technician Week, October 18–24, 2026 Every October, the veterinary profession celebrates National Veterinary Technician Week. We acknowledge the dedication, compassion, technical expertise, and extraordinary contributions of the veterinary technicians who are indispensable to the care of our patients. There are expressions of gratitude, social media tributes, celebratory lunches, and sometimes gifts. All are well deserved. But perhaps this year we should a

Universities speak often about democratic values. Universities defend freedom of expression, encourage critical inquiry, and teach students to question assumptions and examine evidence. Universities ask governments to respect academic independence and recognize the dangers of concentrating power in too few hands. Those are worthy commitments. However, they invite a question: How faithfully do universities practice these principles within their own institutions? At a time when

An ancient question for a modern world. As I grow older, I find myself spending more time reflecting on the past and, perhaps surprisingly, thinking about the future. Not so much my own future, but the future of the people, institutions, professions, and natural world that have been important to me throughout my life. For much of my professional career, I was preoccupied with the immediate demands of veterinary medicine, teaching, research, and the responsibilities that accom

When doing the right thing requires more than being nice. Kindness seems such a simple virtue. We teach it to children, expect it from friends, admire it in strangers, and celebrate it in our professions. We encourage people to be kind, praise acts of kindness, and remind ourselves that a little kindness can make a considerable difference. Who could possibly disagree? Yet kindness becomes considerably more complicated when it demands something of us. Is it kind to remain sile

Higher Education - Shared Governance - Faculty Rights Consider the erosion of faculty influence, the rise of corporate management, and the growing appeal of unionization in American higher education. For generations, American universities have embraced a principle that distinguishes them from most other large institutions: Shared governance. The idea is straightforward. Universities exist to advance knowledge through teaching, research, and public service, and those responsib

Do we really need a scientific paper to remind veterinarians to be kind? A recent article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) caught my attention. Published on October 9, 2026, the paper, entitled Kindness in veterinary practice: clinical behaviors that support safer care, was authored by Rustin M. Moore and four colleagues. It is a ten-page narrative review, supported by 51 references, three tables, and a conceptual diagram. Its central mess

Universities love awards and rankings. They announce them in press releases, celebrate them on websites, and share the good news with alumni, donors, faculty, students, and the public. Being recognized as the best, the most innovative, or the most distinguished institution in a particular field is a powerful marketing tool. But: Who decides what constitutes excellence, and how do they know when they have found it? More importantly: What is the difference between an award for

The true measure of university leadership is not simply what administrators accomplish. The true measure of university leadership is how they accomplish it. However, the how is seldom included in the assessment of an administrator’s record during the reappointment process. Universities are unusual institutions. Universities are places where knowledge is created, assumptions are challenged, evidence is examined, and truth is pursued. The legitimacy of a university rests not si

When philanthropy becomes a transaction There is an important distinction between two seemingly similar phrases: "in recognition of" and "as a condition of." “In recognition of” expresses gratitude. “As a condition of” establishes an obligation. In philanthropy, particularly when public universities are involved, the difference is more than a matter of semantics. It goes to the heart of what it means to give, what it means to receive, and what a public institution may be expe

The fine line between protecting information and avoiding accountability. Confidentiality and secrecy are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Both involve withholding information, yet there is an important distinction between them. Confidentiality serves a legitimate purpose. Secrecy can serve to conceal information from those who have a legitimate interest in knowing it. The distinction becomes particularly important in institutions that claim to emb

An examination of transparent communication, respectful collaboration, and efficiency in the decision to rename the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine The University of California, Davis, proudly identifies shared governance as one of the foundations of its academic excellence. On its official website, the Davis Division of the Academic Senate explains that faculty, administrators and the Regents work together to fulfill the university's missions of teaching, research and

Oscar W. Schalm. This is an original artistic likeness based on a historical photographic reference. This illustration is not a photograph. Oscar Schalm died in 1982. I never met Oscar Schalm. I arrived at UC Davis in 1978, and although I do not recall meeting him, his reputation and contributions were on display in every corner of the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Anyone who has spent much time at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine knows his name. Sc

I recently published an essay that generated some spirited disagreement. That was precisely what I had hoped it would do. The essay was titled Greed: When is Enough Enough? https://www.ricklecouteur.com/post/greed-when-is-enough-enough-732 I write because I enjoy exploring ideas, questioning accepted wisdom, and encouraging conversations about subjects that matter to me. I do not expect everyone to agree with my opinions. Indeed, I often learn more from people who disagree w

There is a phrase veterinarians hear frequently at moments of crisis. I want you to do everything possible. I understand it. Behind those words is love. Fear. Hope. And sometimes guilt. The person standing beside the examination table is terrified of losing an animal that may have shared their life for 10 or 15 years. Do everything possible sounds like the ultimate expression of devotion. But after a lifetime in veterinary medicine, I have come to think that those words deser

In Part 1, I argued that bringing an animal into our lives involves a financial commitment as well as an emotional one. Pet owners need to understand that veterinary expenses are inevitable. Fair enough. But responsibility works both ways. If we expect pet owners to prepare for the cost of veterinary care, then the veterinary profession should be prepared to answer an equally reasonable question: Why does veterinary care cost so much? It is tempting to respond with a familiar

There is a moment most pet owners remember. You pick up the puppy. The kitten climbs into your lap. The shelter dog looks at you through the bars of the kennel. And the decision is made. This one is coming home with me. It is an emotional decision, and perhaps it should be. Our relationships with animals are built on affection, companionship and trust. But hidden inside that moment is something considerably less romantic. A financial commitment. A recent article in the New Yo

There is a certain irony in gathering hundreds of people together for the quintessential corporate ritual. The corporate group photograph. Only to discover that some are experiencing the moment through a screen. While the official camera records the group, dozens of smaller cameras compete to record the recording. Perhaps this is the modern group portrait. Everyone together. Everyone connected. And some looking somewhere else. I happened to walk past a corporate rally on the

Two major veterinary neurology books have appeared within a relatively short period: Canine Neurology, edited by Luisa De Risio and Gualtiero Gandini, and the fifth edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Neurology, edited by Simon Platt, Natasha Olby and Elsa Beltran. At first glance, they appear to occupy much the same territory. Both are contemporary. Both are written by respected veterinary neurologists. Both emphasize clinical application. Both make extensive us

We were sitting outside La Maison, having dinner in the little square in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. It was one of those wonderfully ordinary Paris evenings. Tables spilled onto the pavement. People talked over one another. Glasses clinked. Waiters threaded their way between chairs carrying plates and bottles of wine. Dogs lay under tables. People came and went. The square had that particular Parisian quality of being busy without seeming hurried. And directly across fr

We spend a great deal of time trying to understand dogs. Perhaps we should spend a little more time appreciating how extraordinarily dogs have become at understanding us. Blog At A Glance Point Key Idea Take-Home Message 1. Domestication changed the dog brain Over roughly 15,000 years, humans selected dogs not only for physical traits and useful behaviors, but indirectly for neural systems that helped them live successfully with us. We did not simply change what dogs look l