MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dr. Phil Bushby, a faculty member recognized for his innovative approaches to education and animal health, is the 2007 recipient of the prestigious Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award for Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Each of the 28 veterinary colleges in the United States annually selects an outstanding faculty member for the teaching award. All state recipients are eligible for the national honor, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health and to be announced by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges in 2008.

Bushby said he tries to create an environment that maximizes a student’s opportunity to learn and allows consideration of different scenarios involving animal and client interactions.

“I don’t spend time in front of students lecturing or just telling them something,” he said. “I create situations for them to discover what they need to know.”

Each veterinary class nominates CVM full-time faculty for the award. Names of nominees are submitted to the senior class for final selection during the latter part of the spring semester, said Barbara Coats, student affairs coordinator at the college.

She said student comments on Bushby’s nomination included “caring,” “innovative,” “fabulous” and “there for us.”

“Phil Bushby is a person our students trust, both as a teacher and as a friend,” Coats said.

Bushby is service chief of Primary Care at the college’s Animal Health Center and was recently named as the Marcia P. Lane Endowed Professor in Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare. Bushby is also a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and was the former director of the Office of Educational Innovation. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and in 2000, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to Dublin, Ireland, for his development of teaching techniques for problem-based learning.

A veterinary graduate of the University of Illinois, Bushby has taught at the college since 1978 and is past-president of the Columbus-Lowndes County Humane Society Board. He also holds a master’s degree from Auburn University.

“Dr. Phil Bushby is recognized nationally as an innovator in veterinary medical education,” said Kent Hoblet, dean of the college. “Students recognize that he is committed to their education, thoroughly enjoys teaching and is genuine in his concern that they learn.”

Writer: Patti Drapala
Contact: Dr. Phil Bushby, (662) 325-5157