WELCOME BACK: Vet school deans, farmers hope for U. Vet school to remain open

and HEIDI GLEIT While the Veterinary School's future remains uncertain, deans of vet schools across the country agree that closing it would be a tragedy. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania's farmers are rallying to save the Vet School's state funding, completely eliminated from budget bills signed by Gov. Robert Casey on June 30. University officials have said that losing about $16 million in state aid -- which accounts for more than 40 percent of the school's annual budget -- could eventually force the school to close. Administrators therefore welcome the recent shows of support. "It's one thing for us as a school to tout how great we are," Vet School Dean Edwin Andrews said. "It's another thing for the user community to spontaneously come to the aid of an institution." Robert Phemister, dean of the Veterinary School at Cornell University, said the Vet School's possible closing is "of course a major concern within the profesion." "There are just three veterinary colleges in the northeast of the country," Phemister said. "I certaninly hope that the dire consequences don't come to pass." In late July, Pennsylvanaia dairy farmers and livestock breeders held a "Save the School of Veterinary Medicine" meeting in Harrisburg. They joined with University officials to demand that state lawmakers approve funding for the Vet School when they return from summer recess later this month. At the meeting, state farmers and University officials warned that an end to the Vet School's state support would cause long-lasting harm to the state's agricultural community. Keith Eckle, president of the Pennsylvania Farmers' Association, which sponsored the event, said the budget cut was "a short-sighted approach to good government." "One unchecked health outbreak among farm animals or poultry would eliminate any financial gain by the state," he said, noting that research done at the Vet School has impacted on the state's poultry, pork and dairy industries. But Gov. Casey, who called for an end to state aid for the University in February, remains opposed to funding for the school. Sue Grimm, a Casey budget spokesperson, said that the University should find ways of cutting expenses instead. "From a very narrow point of view, the remaining 26 [vet schools in the country] would benefit, but in the long run we would suffer," said Franklin Lowe, dean of Tufts University's vet school. If the Vet School closed, students interested in studying veterinary medicine could face more intense competition. There are only 27 vet schools in the country, compared to 126 medical schools, according to Lowe. "Each of the schools receives far more applications for admissions than it can possibly accomodate," Phemister explained. "It would remove that many places from the opportunities to pursue vetrinary medicine." Graduates of Colorado's veterinary school often come to the University to continue their studies because of its strong research and training program, according to its dean, Jim Voss. Its closure would result in the "loss of a place for our students to get advanced training," he said. University graduates are also on the faculty of almost every vet school in the country. Voss said Colorado would miss the supply of highly qualified researchers and instructors who trained at the University. Andrews said the other schools would not be able to fill the void created in research and new technology by the disappearance of the University from the field. Lowe agreed, noting that "many of the most important advances in veterinary medicine have been made at Penn's veterinary school." Phemister said that he could not see how any school could gain if the Vet School closed. "The competition for research funds is a national competion," he said, adding that one school dropping out of the race would not have any significant benefit for the others. If the funding is not restored, the University initially plans to run a large deficit this year to temporarily cover for the lost money. Andrews said those at the Harrisburg meeting have formed a committee to study ways "to get legislators activated" and encourage them to restore the funding. He said the committee will also study ways of funding the Vet School in case the state money cannot be restored. He said University officials have spent the past several months lobbying for the school's funding, and that the addition of the farmers could add legitimacy to that effort. Grimm said the farmers will not change Casey's stance on funding, although several legislative leaders have suggested they may support funding bills for the school this fall. She said Casey believes the state needs to devote its resources to funding public education rather than private universities. Ten other private universities also lost state funding this year. The University and Tufts have the nation's only private vet schools. All other schools are state-operated. Tufts' vet school accounts for only 15 percent of its budget with state money, but it has the highest tuition, said Lowe. According to Phemister, Cornell receives $15 million, about the same as the University's Vet School. But the state of New York pays for other expenses, such as facilities and infrastructure, which the University's Vet School must pay with its own funds. At Colorado State, 38 percent of the vet school's budget comes from state grants, according to Voss. The school also depends on research grants and tuition. Beyond its effect on the lobbying drive, the Harrisburg meeting also provided the Vet School with a much-needed morale boost. Andrews said faculty who attended the gathering were "very positively reinforced" by the group's support.