Michael Thomas

Office: Ag Science 102 
Phone: 559.278.4391
Email: michaelt@csufresno.edu 

Courses: Animal Science 67: Animals and Society

Education: BS - Brigham Young University, DVM - Washington State University

Biography: A love of teaching led Dr. Thomas to leave a thriving veterinary practice to join the faculty at California State University, Fresno in 1985. Since then, he has assumed a variety of teaching, research, outreach and leadership training responsibilities. 

Prior to being appointed as the interim associate dean in the fall of 2018, he served as a college liaison for the California Agricultural Leadership Program (CALF), a statewide leadership foundation to improve leadership skills within the agriculture community.

As an educator, Dr. Thomas has 22 years of experience teaching animal health, infectious diseases and other pre-veterinary courses. He was an advisor for pre-veterinary students in the department and faculty advisor for the Pre-Veterinary Association. In 1999, Dr. Thomas prepared a proposal for a new Animal Science GE course, which was accepted by the General Education Committee and is now available to students of all majors. The course, Animals and Society, deals with ethics, appropriate care and use of animals in our society including therapeutic uses. 

Being a strong advocate of hands-on experience, he took a leave from the department in the fall of 2001 to direct the Solutions Center. As director of the center he led a campus-wide program that coordinates programs for teams of students seeking to answer specific, real-world problems posed by industry.

Related Experience

Veterinary Practice: 1983-1985 – Eastern Washington and Western Oregon, Large Animal Practice

Campus Positions: Professor, Animal Sciences – 1985 – present