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Alaska Veterinary Program Partnership “2+2” Articulated Program between UAF and Colorado State UniversityIs the proposed new or expanded program core mission business? Is it consistent with the stated mission of the MAU? Are the recommendations linked to goals and objectives set forth in approved long-range plans?Biological sciences have long been a strength in UAF undergraduate, graduate, outreach/continuing education, and research programs. During the 1960s and 1970s , the U.S. Public Health Service had a unit on campus, and zoophysiology became a particular emphasis of UAF research. During the 1990s rapid expansion of biomedical research funding opportunities at the federal level, along with clear needs for research to address health disparities among Alaskans, led UAF (in some cases, collaborating with UAA and UAS) to successfully apply for grants to build UAF capabilities in biomedical research. UAF’s goals in the biomedical education and research areas have been incorporated in formal plans. The UAF Vision 2017 Task Force Report includes Recommendation Two under Research and Scholarship: “Focus on research and scholarship that promote well-being and sustainability for Alaskans.” UAF’s Academic Development Plan (2007) includes the area of emphasis, “Biomedicine and Health Sciences: Conduct biomedical and health education, research, and outreach that relate to Alaska's unique environment and lifestyles.”Is there evidence of historical demand for what it is we seek to do? What has been the history of this program, and needs of the students, the community, and the faculty? In November 2009 Regent Cowell asked Chancellor Rogers if Alaska had ever considered a veterinary college. The answer was no. The cost of a veterinary teaching hospital is prohibitive ($150 to $200 million plus $30 million annually in operating costs) which is why only two new four year veterinary colleges have been constructed in the USA in the past 30 years. Additionally, Alaska does not currently have a sufficiently diversified animal industry, which would make accreditation difficult even if we had the funding to build a teaching hospital. In the US there are only 28 accredited veterinary colleges in 27 states. Nevertheless, Regent Cowell’s question was very timely because UAF was evaluating possible academic programs to augment our efforts in biomedical research and education. By the fall of 2009 UAF had benefited greatly from several NIH funded biomedical research infrastructure building programs (including INBRE, CANHR, and SNRP), but we had not yet developed academic programs that would fully utilize the expertise of the new faculty and staff hired to meet the goals of those programs. In particular UAF had six veterinarians already on faculty and staff at UAF, coupled with several other faculty with experience in medical training programs. In early 2010 a veterinary medical task force was formed at UAF and this group developed several different scenarios and arranged for a needs assessment. Results were presented to the Board of Regents at their September 2010 meeting. To explore possible collaborations Dr. John Blake visited the Dean at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. At that January 2010 meeting CSU Dean Lance Perryman asked if UAF would consider an articulated 2+2 program with his College. Dean Perryman used to teach in the WWAMI program when he was at the veterinary college at Washington State University, so he is very familiar with that model. Moreover, the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) has identified formation of 2+2 programs as an ideal mechanism to address the national shortage in veterinarians. This appears to be an ideal strategy for states with small human populations and limited animal industries that still need reasonable access to the training of DVMs for a variety of state needs. Explain the demand. Forecast anticipated enrollment growth and student demand. Given the costs associated with facility requests, are we risk certain that projections of program demand are sound? How did we arrive at our projections? Explain the methodology and data we used. In other words, how solid was the data analysis? Can we discuss the implications of our data analysis with confidence enough to create a SON?Note: There is no facility request associated with the proposed partnership.Demand is discussed in detail in the “UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment” that UAF commissioned, delivered in August 2010.Following consultation with colleagues at CSU, the initial plan is to enroll 10 veterinary students in year one of the professional program, starting in fall 2013. In year two, 10 additional students would be accepted, for a total of 20 professional students enrolled in years one and two of the DVM program. The first Alaskans would graduate with a DVM in spring 2018. Based on experiences of veterinary programs elsewhere, many applications will be received for every available position, and so it is very likely that enrollment will equal capacity (see Table 1). Even more than twenty years ago, when the WICHE PSEP program was active, UAF placed five to seven students/year in Outside veterinary schools. The population of Alaska and the enrollment at UAF are both much greater now than in the 1985-1995 period.Table 1: Number of 2009* applications vs. number of acceptances, selected western veterinary schools (from “UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment”)SchoolNumber of Applications Number of AcceptancesUC Davis1,067133Colorado State U1,834138Oklahoma State U45282Oregon State U51156Washington State U94099*Submitted in 2008 for 2009 enrollment.The information on the number of applications received and accepted (as excerpted in Table 1 and reported fully in the “UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment” report) was gleaned from institutional websites and is presumed to be accurate. These records are provided annually by these programs and our pre-DVM advisors monitor them so they can provide the best advice to our students.The records on UAF students placed in veterinary school in the 1985-1995 period were maintained by UAF’s pre-vet advisor and are accurate.How will students benefit? How will faculty and/or the university benefit? How will the community and the state benefit? Answers to these questions are key to moving on to the SON/SOR process. Students: Alaska students interested in obtaining a degree in veterinary medicine (DVM) currently face almost insurmountable barriers. First, they are placed in a pool of nonresident applicants at U.S. veterinary schools (which are nearly all at public universities). Only a very few students from hundreds of nonresident applicants are accepted per year. Secondly, the student must face nonresident tuition costs, typically in the $50,000 per year range. Presently well-qualified undergraduates aiming for a DVM almost all leave Alaska for college elsewhere, to establish residency in a state with a veterinary medical school. UAF will provide them the option to remain here; there are three or four such students, typically, for every one that is ultimately admitted to Veterinary School. Instead of leaving Alaska as freshmen, pre-vet students would spend four to five years getting their prerequisites and/or BS/BA degrees, and then two years for the DVM before attending CSU for two years. This equates to six or seven years, out of eight or nine, that they could spend in Alaska, a great cost savings to the students and munity: Veterinarians are the only professionals qualified and legally licensed to address the health and welfare of animals and to work at the interface of animal and human health. Veterinarians work closely with other professionals in biomedical sciences and this would be reflected in the construction of the proposed 2+2 program. Veterinarians are engaged in a broad spectrum of health disciplines such as clinical practice, teaching and research, regulatory medicine, public health, military service and wildlife medicine among many others. Veterinarians are involved in local, state and federal governments, working with legislators to shape laws that protect the health, welfare and well-being of animals and people. At present there is a nationwide shortage of veterinarians that extends to Alaska. This is particularly apparent in rural veterinary medicine, public health, food safety, and biomedical research. ? At UAF we are uniquely positioned to address all of these areas for our state and the nation. The proposed UAF collaborative program would address animal health and welfare and public health needs (food safety, vaccination programs, etc.) in rural areas. This is a known need, nationally as well as in Alaska, and UAF could provide professional development of current vets as well as educating new vets. Some of the respondents noted that an Alaska Veterinary 2 + 2 program could help to educate veterinarians with specialized knowledge useful in Alaska. Examples included knowledge of sled dogs, domesticated animals that are uncommon elsewhere (reindeer, elk, yak, musk-ox), and wildlife diseases. Many local DVMs have already expressed interest in participating in training of the students in the classroom and as a part of their clinics. In addition, we can formalize the process for providing the pre-DVM students the clinical experience that is required for admission.University: The VetMed 2+2 program would benefit UAF’s research programs. Having a professional program at UAF would show a high level of credibility and commitment to biomedicine (teaching and research). Creating this new program would also highlight a major emphasis of the INBRE and SNRP (Special Neuroscience Research Program) funding. ? Grant awards specific for DVMs or for translational needs that can come from a health professional program could now be targeted. DVMs seeking graduate degrees would be attracted to UAF and we could work with CSU to increase opportunities for students wishing to pursue a combined DVM/PhD program. The 2+2 program faculty and staff could also play a significant role with existing IAB faculty and the UAF Animal Resources Center to develop our animal research base. Specifically, we could focus on new and unique animal models of human disease that exist in Alaska. The interface of animal and human health is an excellent research opportunity for UAF, given its long-term strengths in assessing subsistence use species and growing expertise and facilities in animal and human biochemistry, molecular biology, neuroscience, physiology and related areas.The university would also benefit from enrollment of highly qualified undergraduates who are currently leaving the state to pursue residency and veterinary school elsewhere. Even in the 1980s this amounted to about 20 new students annually (or a population of about 80). Are their job or workforce opportunities that justify what we want to do? What data did we analyze to arrive at our conclusions in this regard? Does the demand discussion include workforce projections and opportunities in the immediate and longer range future?U.S. Department of Labor statistics project “Veterinarian” to be the 18th fastest growing occupation in the U.S. from 2008-2018, with a 33% increase in employment opportunities. Of 3100 federally employed veterinarians in the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Food and Drug Administration, the Animal and Plant Inspection Service, and the Army are eligible to retire in the next three years. The FSIS has a vacancy rate of 35% for veterinarians, and the ARS has a vacancy rate of 12%. Federal employment data are assumed accurate, and US DOL employment projections are the best available nationally.The American Veterinary Medical Association compiles employment statistics via a survey of graduates ():Table 2. Results of AVMA 2011 Graduate Employment SurveyPercent %Meanfirst-year salary ($)?ALL GRADUATESFULL TIME ONLYPrivate Clinical Practice??Food animal exclusive1.971,096Food animal predominant2.067,338Mixed animal9.462,655Companion animal predominant5.169,654Companion animal exclusive23.969,789Equine2.543,405?Public or Corporate Employment??College/University0.1nUniformed Services2.065,692Federal Government0.5nState/Local Government0.0NAIndustry/commercial0.1nNot-for-profit0.3n?Other0.3nAdvanced Study Programs52.029,116All Employment Types100.046,971Mean (Excluding advanced education)48.066,469?Total 2011 U.S. Veterinary Medical College Graduates reporting salary1,477The method of needs assessment for DVMs in Alaska is discussed in detail in the “UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment”. In brief, online surveys (with alternate delivery by mail or fax) were sent to veterinarians in clinical practice, veterinary employers, and allied professionals. A search for research publications relating to enrollment in veterinary programs, demand for veterinarians, and similar topics was also made, and the relevant information therein was summarized in the report.Fifty clinical veterinarians in the state of Alaska responded to the survey, out of about 322 licensed veterinarians in the state, 172 licensed veterinarians for whom contact information could be obtained, and 136 practicing veterinarians. (Note: Not all of these licensed DVMs live in Alaska and some are not private practitioners. Thus one should not presume that all run small animal clinics.) In addition, twelve non-clinical veterinarians were interviewed. Survey responses were received from nineteen veterinary employers with more than one DVM on staff and from five allied professionals. The response rate was reasonably high, increasing the reliability of the results.Of the sixteen clinical veterinary employers surveyed for the “UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment”, six reported always having difficulty recruiting DVMs and eleven reported sometimes having difficulties. When asked if the proposed program at UAF would provide qualified professionals for their organization, fifteen agreed that it would. The employers reported that job prospects for new DVMs in Alaska were good. Is there any substantive unique information to be addressed?Finances:UAF Financial Investments to Date:In 2010-11 UAF assigned John Blake, UAF Attending Veterinarian, at about 5% of his time, to research some background information, secure the consultants’ report, and discuss options with Colorado State University. The consultant report, “UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment” cost $25,000.For FY12 Biology and Wildlife faculty member (and veterinarian) Dr. Todd O'Hara has been assigned for 6.5 months to oversee initial stages of the development of this collaboration as a Program Coordinator. This is a commitment of $77,000 in salary and benefits, plus about $15,000 for travel and other expenses. Dr. O’Hara Chairs a Steering Committee and works directly with Dean Layer.TOTAL MAU investment through FY12: $125,000Future UAF Investments Planned:UAF plans to direct all tuition revenue earned by the program back to VetMed during its first three years, to allow it to establish a firm financial footing with funds for equipment, faculty startups, and other needs. After that a normal allocation of graduate tuition revenue will be allocated to Administrative Services, but all extraordinary revenue will continue to be allocated back to the VetMed Program. UAF will be seeking Board of Regents approval for “supertuition” equivalent to the rate at Colorado State University for resident and non-resident students. Those rates are currently $21,800 per year for residents, with a $30,000 non-resident surcharge. It’s anticipated that these rates will increase at an average of 8% per year for the next several years. Table 3. shows projected revenue assuming that CSU tuition increases at 8%/year.Table 3. Tuition Revenue and AllocationEnrollment20132014201510 Residents7 Residents 3 Nonresidents20 Residents14 Residents 6 Nonresidents20 Residents14 Residents 6 NonresidentsTOTAL Revenue$254,275$359,251$549,234$775,983$593,173$838,061Admin Allocation$0$0$0$0$0$0TOTAL-Admin$254,275$359,251$549,234$775,983$593,173$838,061Enrollment20162017201820 Residents14 Residents 6 Nonresidents20 Residents14 Residents 6 Nonresidents20 Residents14 Residents 6 NonresidentsTOTAL Revenue$640,627$905,106$691,877$977,515$747,227$1,055,716Admin Allocation$75,132$133,904$80,391$143,278$86,019$153,307TOTAL-Admin$565,495$771,202$611,486$834,237$661,209$902,409As this will be new revenue, no cuts elsewhere will be needed, provided that the legislative increment request is funded. In addition, all or part of the teaching responsibilities of about eight existing faculty would be assigned to the program. These individuals would teach an average of the equivalent of two full courses per year (6-10 credits) for the VetMed 2+2 program, or about 20% of their workload would be assigned to this teaching, so the resource transfer would amount to about 1.6 FTE faculty or $200,000/year including benefits. The VetMed courses would be available to other UAF graduate students in related areas like Biology and Wildlife.UAF will encourage ACPE to request funding from the legislature to pay the nonresident portion (out of state tuition minus the in state tuition for Colorado residents) of the tuition at CSU for the last two years of the program. WWAMI tuition assistance is provided via ACPE. A total of $600,000 per year would be required if the maximum of 20 Alaskan students are enrolled at CSU. (The amount may increase to $35,000 per year per student or $700,000 total by the time the students are ready to attend CSU). However, even if tuition assistance is not available, the 2+2 program will still be more affordable than pursuing all four years as a non-resident.Are there timing issues to consider, e.g., external deadlines?The timing of the budget request is quite important, because it is tied to the accreditation process at CSU. Veterinary medical programs are accredited through the American Veterinary Medical Association and CSU is up for renewal. They have asked that we aim for a 2013 freshman start date allowing them to announce the new 2+2 program to the AVMA in early 2012. For UAF to accommodate professional students in fall of 2013 we need to commit to establishing the 2+2 program now. This means we would need to announce the opportunity very soon to allow for students and families to consider this option. With approval, applications to the program would be accepted in fall 2012 (deadline is typically around Oct 1).How will we monitor progress toward the goals of this project/program? How will we assess progress in meeting the identified needs of students, the communities and state, and the university? UAF will track and report the following information on request of the Board of Regents:CSU and AVMA-based accreditation; this is necessary for the 2+2 program to proceedAnnual number of applications received, from residents and from nonresidentsAnnual number of applications accepted, residents and nonresidentsEnrollment in the 2+2 program, both at UAF and CSU, residents and nonresidentsTuition revenue, including surcharge or “supertuition”Research grant/contract funding awards to UAF program facultyResearch publications by UAF program faculty and graduate and professional studentsNumber of graduatesInitial employment of graduates (employer and nature of position)Subsequent employment of graduates following the initial positionReference:LeKites, Michelle, and Henry P. Huntington. August, 2010. UAF Veterinary School Needs Assessment. Huntington Consulting, 23834 The Clearing Dr., Eagle River, AK 99577. ................
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