Colorado State University Announces Chair in Equine Reproduction

Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences today announced the establishment of the Iron Rose Ranch University Chair in Equine Reproduction, funded with a $3 million gift.

The chair will enhance the college’s work in equine reproductive performance and the position will be awarded to a professor at a future date in support of the Equine Reproduction Laboratory team.

"The Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Colorado State University has long been a world leader in advancing the science of reproduction and fertility. It is a core part of our overall program in veterinary medicine, which consistently ranks among the best in the world and contributes in significant ways to the advancement of human and animal medicine," said Colorado State President Larry Edward Penley. "This success is a direct result of our ability to recruit and retain an exceptional faculty, and we are deeply grateful to the Iron Rose Ranch for this investment in the quality and future of our reproduction program."

The Iron Rose Ranch Chair creates a tenure-track position in the university in the equine reproduction program. With the addition of the new Iron Rose Ranch Chair, endowed chairs at the college now number six.

"The creation of the Iron Rose Ranch Chair in Equine Reproduction is a great honor for the college and a tribute to faculty and staff at the Equine Reproduction Laboratory," said Dr. Lance Perryman, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "This gift will greatly enhance our missions of advancing animal care and treatment."

The Equine Reproduction Program at Colorado State has a long history of developing techniques for the equine industry. Started in 1967, today the laboratory is internationally renowned for its reproductive research. Several of the program’s discoveries directly benefit human reproductive and fertility medicine. Over the past 30 years, the laboratory has developed techniques such as collection of semen and artificial insemination, recovery and transfer of equine embryos, shipping of cooled semen and shipping of cooled embryos that are now routinely used in the equine industry.

"This gift is especially appreciated as the college works to retain and attract world-class researchers and teachers," Perryman said. "Because of limitations in state funding, private donations help us to compete for the best and the brightest to the benefit of our students, our veterinary clients and our research programs. Endowed chairs give us a permanent funding source to continue to retain and attract gifted individuals to our faculty."     

Iron Rose Ranch, located near Carbondale, specializes in breeding some of the finest cutting horses in the nation. This is the second chair established at Colorado State by the Iron Rose Ranch. The first, the Iron Rose Ranch Chair in Equine Musculoskeletal Disease and Injury, was created in 2004 with Dr. Chris Kawcak, as associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, named to fill the chair.

Since then, Kawcak and Dr. Paul Lunn, head of the Department of Clinical Sciences, have continued to work with the Iron Rose Ranch on additional funding opportunities within the college. The new Iron Rose Ranch University Chair, noted Perryman, is a result of their joint efforts.

The Colorado State University Foundation permanently invests funds that are given to establish endowed chairs, and the interest generated is used to support the chair. The principal is never used, so endowments allow continuous funding to supplement the chairholder’s salary, graduate student work, and research and activities tied to the chairholder’s program.

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