Legacy of Leadership

Dr. Jared Danielson
William P. Switzer Award
Award posthumously

Andrew Christensen didn’t know Jared Danielson on a personal level.

But like his fellow College of Veterinary Medicine students, Christensen knew what type of person Danielson was.

“I had nothing but positive and uplifting experiences with him in my first two years as a student,” said Christensen, now a fourth-year veterinary medicine student at Iowa State.

Christensen was the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Jared Danielson Excellence in Mentoring Scholarship. The award was established by more than 50 individuals whose contributions endowed the scholarship.

Danielson passed away in May 2025 after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. He held several positions in the College of Veterinary Medicine for more than two decades, including most recently as the senior associate dean for academic and student programs.

It was in this role that Danielson encountered students such as Andrew Christensen.

“Being the first to receive his memorial scholarship was truly an honor because it shows while he might have passed, his legacy of leadership through service in this institution has not,” Christensen said. “I am very grateful obviously for the financial assistance but also just to be associated with his legacy and being selected as a representative of what he stood for in leadership and mentoring at the college.”

While at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Danielson devoted his career to veterinary medical education. Through his work in curriculum development and student assessment, he had a profound impact across the field of veterinary education. He was among the most knowledgeable individuals regarding the factors that positively influence how veterinary students learn and how that learning can be effectively measured.

Throughout his career, Danielson strived to enhance veterinary student learning. He accomplished this through educational research focused on competency-based approaches to medical sciences education and the study of predictors of academic difficulty.

“Jared helped shape the future of veterinary education, not only at Iowa State, but throughout the country,” said Dr. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “He worked tirelessly on all aspects to improve veterinary medicine education.”

Danielson was awarded the William P. Switzer Award posthumously. The Switzer Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society and/or to the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Danielson also received the Presidential Award for Meritorious Service from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges in 2020. Three years later, he was named a Morrill Professor at Iowa State, awarded to Iowa State faculty members of teaching excellence at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.

October 2026