Over the course of the School’s history and into the present, there have been (and will continue to be) significant shifts in stakeholders, clientele, students, the collective sciences of veterinary medicine and animal health, as well as the relevant standards of practice. These changes require attention, with a renewed urgency, to both scientific and social needs. There are needs for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal health research scientists, as well as many allied professionals. Nearly 60% of all biomedical investments in research and development are focused on vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. A large majority of this investment is focused on zoonotic infectious diseases. Maintaining educational programs to meet these demands will require attention to diversity of the students and professionals.
There is now significant academic attention on not only direct animal health, but also the general well-being of the animals and their caretakers. The diversity of the caretakers, in the broadest sense, will continue to increase. Clearly, all of these interactions are important and deserve full attention. And, sustained delivery of One Health medicine requires consideration of the global ecology.
SVMBS and IANR have demonstrated an ability to respond to critical evaluations and recommendations. From the 2015 APR, the NVDC added depth and expertise. Also, IANR, CASNR, and SVMBS have invested in maintaining operations and teaching/research programs at GPVEC. There have been successful research initiatives to address very specific needs related to stakeholders (livestock) and One Health (epidemiology of zoonotic diseases). Consistent with this approach, an SVMBS senior leadership team will lead the development of responses to these external review team and institutional leadership reviews and recommendations. This will be translated to strategic and tactical planning for SVMBS.
Key Topics
Several key topics and related questions have emerged throughout discussions and preparation of this self-study report:
The basis for growth and effectiveness of our educational programming is a diverse, talented, and motivated pool of students. These students will eventually become the people that enter critical sectors of the Nebraska economy such as food and animal agriculture and the regional One Health biomedical system as workers, educators, veterinarians, technicians, and research scientists.
Question 1a. How do we develop effective outreach and recruiting systems for Nebraska to identify a strong pool of students and ensure diversity, equity, and inclusivity? (Note: one of the objectives of the UNL community’s Grand Challenges is anti-racism and racial equity (UNL | Theme descriptions | Grand Challenges).
Question 1b. Are there strategic gaps in content and/or delivery in the educational programming for undergraduate students in the pre-veterinary or veterinary technology programs that enhance student success? Can the length of time required for the pre-veterinary program be reduced, reducing time and costs to acquire a D.V.M. degree? The rising financial burden on professional students is significant. Some specific examples of targeted recruitment programs could include urban high schools, community colleges, and students from rural regions of Nebraska.
Question 1c. What internal and external partnerships would enhance these efforts?
The PPVM and graduate degree programs are key components of the mission of SVMBS and there is demand for these graduates.
Question 2a. What is the appropriate structure and approach for the M.S. degree program(s) for SVMBS? One possible approach to continue an M.S. program would include using the CASNR-managed Master of Applied Science degree program to re-establish the program within SVMBS. As the School includes many missions and teams, the M.S. program needs to provide the flexibility to support students with diverse educational goals.
Question 2b. What possible novel and unique mechanisms of support for graduate students and veterinary residents can be developed (in addition to grant funding) to support and sustain growth?
Question 2c. For the PPVM program, what is the appropriate strategy to realize supported growth? There is currently sufficient demand and a number of well-qualified students to support expansion of the class size (by approximately 10 to 20 students). This will require additional and new professional program partners for the third and fourth year training opportunities.
Question 2d. What internal and external partnerships would enhance these efforts? (This could include development of unique clinical training programs, such as rotations/clerkships, etc., utilizing resources across Nebraska. And, such programs can be coupled with efforts to recruit veterinarians to underserved counties in Nebraska.)
Question 2e. Can such programs be used to leverage partnerships with other veterinary colleges to increase and enhance both the numbers of and diversity of PPVM-trained veterinarians for the unique veterinary service needs of this region?
There are multiple drivers of success for numbers 1 and 2 above. These questions address issues associated with these critical resources. A diverse, talented, and motivated faculty will be essential for the success of the SVMBS.
Question 3a. Assuming increased needs to recruit faculty after attrition and to support new programs, what is the best model for critical succession planning for both faculty and staff for SVMBS? How can we train, recruit, retain faculty and staff in a highly competitive environment for veterinarians that may have to realize significant opportunity cost? These efforts must realize critical needs among disciplines as well as needs for essential multiple accreditation and certification processes.
Question 3b. How best should inclusivity and a supported sense of belonging be purposefully included in this planning effort (and eventual recruitment actions)? This will be an important topic for the senior leadership team, and this may require establishment of a recruitment committee.
Question 3c. What other needs exist for facility and infrastructure improvements?
To achieve operational success and efficiency, program integration and coordination is a subject of interest to clients and stakeholders.
Question 4a. How might integration between units/areas within and outside the school be leveraged (such as resident training positions involved in teaching and GPVEC program integration with undergraduate programs as examples)?
Question 4b. Would there be advantages in better integration of research, diagnostic service, and extension programming in key areas (cow/calffeedlot management, related infectious diseases of livestock, and infectious disease/livestock ecology; as an example).
Question 4c. Relative to efficient uses of resources and succession planning, should SVMBS define two to three core areas of research strengths?