Southeastern Conference chooses Camus for Academic Leadership Development Program

Dr. Melinda Camus, professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is one of four Auburn University faculty members selected by the Southeastern Conference for its 2026-2027 Academic Leadership Development Program.

The cohort brings together SEC faculty members representing a range of academic backgrounds and leadership experiences. Program participants will engage in a pair of three-day workshops scheduled for the fall and spring and hosted by LSU and Kentucky, respectively. 

Since its beginning in 2008, more than 700 faculty have participated in the program, with many advancing into senior leadership roles at universities within the SEC and nationwide. The SEC ADLP is one of several conference-sponsored endeavors that promote teaching, research, service and economic development goals of the conference’s member institutions.

Beyond the conference-wide workshops, cohort members at each institution will facilitate programming and engagement opportunities for fellows throughout the academic year.

A member of the Auburn Vet Med faculty since December 2020, Camus leads a team responsible for admissions and student progress, curriculum and clinical transitions, and student support and wellness.

She serves as a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education and is a past president of the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) and former co-chair of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) Certifying Examination Board.

Before coming to Auburn, Camus served as an associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Pathology and directed its Clinical Pathology Laboratory. She earned her DVM from LSU in 2001 and achieved Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2010. Before joining the UGA faculty, Camus served four years as an associate veterinarian at several animal hospitals in Mississippi.

Faculty