W.A. Ranches
W.A. Ranches is the campaign's largest gift (by the hectare, that is) fundamentally transforming animal-health education
Meanwhile, back at North America鈥檚 biggest outdoor classroom鈥β
There are a lot of things one could do with a successful, 7,700-hectare (19,000-acre)聽ranch in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Most obviously, of course, one could reap the rewards of a productive cattle operation. For Wynne Chisholm, BA鈥79, and her dad, J.C. (Jack) Anderson, however, doing the obvious doesn鈥檛 appeal; rather, in pursuit of elevating excellence in teaching, learning and research in Alberta鈥檚 agriculture community, they gave their ranch away. That remarkable decision immediately pushed聽草莓污视频导航鈥檚聽already exceptional Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to become one of the most sought-after programs on the continent.聽聽
Dr. Ed聽Pajor, PhD, is a professor of animal behaviour and welfare, and the inaugural ranch director at W.A. Ranches at the 草莓污视频导航; he also holds the Anderson-Chisholm Chair in Animal Care and Welfare. Over the past year and a half, he has witnessed how this family鈥檚 gift (the largest of its kind to any university in North America) has advanced聽research聽and聽transformed the student-experience to a degree no traditional classroom could.聽聽
鈥淗aving a 1,000-head cattle ranch as part of our faculty is a game-changer,鈥 says Dr.聽Pajor. 鈥淲ith this 鈥榣iving lab鈥 comes opportunity for university-wide collaborative research, as well as mutually beneficial outreach to the cattle community, including to veterinarians and other ranchers.鈥 One of the goals of the ranch鈥檚 activities, he says, is to carry out research to improve management practices for ranchers; the faculty is also constantly refining and enriching academic programming for students, 鈥渟o we can graduate better veterinarians in the long run who鈥檝e had more hands-on experience in cow-calf and beef cattle care.鈥澛
With this 鈥榣iving lab鈥 comes opportunity for university-wide collaborative research, as well as mutually beneficial outreach to the cattle community, including to veterinarians and other ranchers.
Dr. Ed Pajor, PhD
Professor of animal behaviour and welfare and ranch director
As well, Dr. Pajor says, the ranch is a magnet for 鈥渋nternational rock-star scientists鈥澛爏uch as the renowned Dr. Temple Grandin, PhD, who visited W.A. Ranches in the fall of 2019 to connect with聽researchers聽and help prepare and inspire future animal-welfare leaders. Dr.聽Pajor聽says her visit sparked unforgettable, impactful conversation around a variety of animal-welfare issues, and allowed students and ranch staff to showcase their skills.聽聽
Above all,聽Dr.聽Pajor聽believes the magic of the ranch lies in the students鈥 connection to the land and the animals who live on it. He recently watched as a new graduate student, who had never worked with beef cattle before, fell in love with the animals during calving season when she came to help bottle-feed orphans. 鈥淎fter that hands-on ranch experience, that student changed her research interest 鈥 she鈥檚 now committed to beef cattle welfare,鈥 says聽Pajor. 鈥淪ometimes, the impact of this gift is even greater than expected.鈥澛
What Giving Gives Me
Our hope is that this gift will transform the teaching, learning and outreach experiences in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and empower faculty and students to create and share scientific, evidence-based discoveries that will improve animal care and welfare, enhance our industry, and inform the public.
Wynne Chisholm, BA鈥79
Wynne and her father, J.C. (Jack) Anderson, gave the gift of their 7,700-hectare cattle ranch