Celebrating the Class of 2025

The College of Veterinary Medicine will celebrate commencement at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 18, in Jesse Auditorium. View the livestream and event program.

Published 5/13/25

Honorary degree recipient: James E. Nave, BS Ag ’66, DVM ’68
James E. Nave

The University of Missouri awards honorary doctorates to individuals of exceptional distinction who have provided outstanding service to the University of Missouri, the state of Missouri, the United States or to humanity at large. Honorary doctorates are Mizzou’s highest form of recognition. This semester, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s honorary degree goes to James E. Nave, BS Ag ’66, DVM ’68.

Dr. Nave has not only provided essential care to animals of all types but also provided guidance to fellow veterinarians for five decades.

Nave followed his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri with a doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Missouri in 1968. After earning his degree, he joined the U.S. Army and served with distinction as a captain during the Vietnam War. He was awarded a Bronze Star.

Shortly after his service, Nave opened the Tropicana Animal Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1974. Through his practice, he mentors countless young veterinarians and went on to create the Nave Veterinary Group, which now operates 21 freestanding veterinary hospitals in southern Nevada.

Nave has served veterinary organizations at both the state and national levels. He was president of the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. During his term for the AVMA, he helped establish a mentorship program for new graduates, as well as the National Council on Veterinary Economic Issues. He also served as vice president of the Nevada Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

Besides veterinary medicine, Nave is dedicated to athletics. He served as a member of the Nevada Athletic Commission for 12 years, including numerous terms as its chairman. He was the North American Boxing Federation’s Boxing Commissioner of the Year in 1990, and he was the World Boxing Council’s Boxing Commissioner of the Year five separate times in the 1990s.

Nave has been recognized with honors from various organizations. He was awarded the AVMA President’s Award in 2003, the AVMA Award in 2009 and the AVMA Global Veterinary Service Award in 2022. He was named Nevada Veterinarian of the Year in 1988. Nave also was selected as the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Alumnus of the Year in 1987 and was a recipient of the Mizzou Alumni Association’s Faculty Alumni Award in 2001.