October 23, 2025
The College of Veterinary Medicine will recognize five graduates with its alumni awards during Homecoming at a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 24.
The award recipients include:
Stange Award for Meritorious Service – the college’s highest honor presented for outstanding professional achievement in veterinary medicine.
- Dr. Chris Chase (’80) is a professor emeritus at South Dakota State University where he taught in the Department of Veterinary for over 30 years. His contributions in microbiology, virology and immunology have been profound at both the academic and industry level. He served as chief executive officer and chief scientific officer of RTI (Research Technology Innovation) which collaborated with clients who needed expertise, specialist labor and resources, and support to bring ideas to the animal health market.
- As president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Humane Society, Dr. Steven Hansen (’85) has been the driving force behind numerous changes at the Phoenix-based organization. He has created pet training courses, affordable and accessible spay/neuter and wellness services, and resources which has helped decrease the number of pets surrendered to the AHS by more than 50 percent over the past six years. Prior to joining in the AHS, Hansen spent 16 years with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as that organization’s chief operating officer.
William P. Switzer Award in Veterinary Medicine – this award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the society and/or to the College of Veterinary Medicine.
- Dr. Gayle Brown (PhD ’99) is a dedicated and highly recognized educator in the College of Veterinary Medicine. She is consistently recognized by the college and its students as an outstanding classroom instructor and in 2018 Brown received the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Distinguished Teacher Award. Outside of the classroom, Brown led the college’s effort to teach the Transboundary and Emerging Diseases web-based course to veterinarians and students, a program that that received more than $5 million in funding from the USDA to support the delivery of the course.
Lorraine J. Hoffman Graduate Alumni Award – this award is given to an individual who received a master’s and/or PhD from the College of Veterinary Medicine and honors those who have demonstrated outstanding achievement or leadership in making significant, influential or innovative contributions to society.
- Dr. Hans Coetzee (PhD ‘05) is internationally recognized for his accomplishments in animal welfare, specifically his work to validate pain assessment tools for use in farm animals and to develop drug protocols to alleviate pain in livestock. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has been honored by many national and international organizations for his work. A former faculty member at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Coetzee is a University Distinguished Professor and vice president for research at Kansas State University.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award – this award recognizes alumni who have excelled in the veterinary profession and/or provided service to their community 10 years or less after their DVM graduation.
- A respected contributor to swine medicine, Dr. Chris Sievers (‘16) is a partner at Swine Vet Center. There he has expanded his traditional practitioner role to new platforms and communication pathways including web-based and digital messaging tool. Importantly, he has created lateral communications links among his clients that allows all to adopt to the best practices that any one of them discovers. Sievers is active in the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) and was recently presented with that organization’s Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year Award.