BLACKSBURG, Va., April 14, 2006 – Virginia Tech has named Neal Peckens, a resident of Boonsboro, Md., as the Outstanding Graduating Senior for the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of veterinary Medicine.
“Mr. Peckens received this award because of his services to the university, as well as his many accomplishments throughout his academic career,” said Dr. Gerhardt G. Schurig, dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
Peckens is expected to receive his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in May of this year. During his time at Virginia Tech, Peckens has been ranked number one in his class, as well as received excellent evaluations on his DVM clinical clerkships.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, Peckens is also president of the Alpha Psi-Pi chapter. Alpha Psi is a fraternity in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class.
The purpose of the award is recognition of outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their quality credit average (3.4 or higher) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions and contributions of service to the university and/or community.
The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) is a two-state, three-campus professional school operated by the land-grant universities of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and the University of Maryland at College Park. Its flagship facilities, based at Virginia Tech, include the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, which treats more than 40,000 animals annually. Other campuses include the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Va., and the Avrum Gudelsky Veterinary Center at College Park, home of the Center for Government and Corporate Veterinary Medicine. The VMRCVM annually enrolls approximately 500 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and graduate students, is a leading biomedical and clinical research center, and provides professional continuing education services for veterinarians practicing throughout the two states.