From the Dean
Dear faculty, staff, and students,
In the next few issues of Making Rounds, I will provide updates on progress that the College has made in various areas of the strategic plan, beginning with our goal to address the workforce needs of the state and nation.
With only 28 colleges of veterinary medicine in the nation and a growing need in many areas of the profession, including food supply veterinary medicine and public health advocacy, experts have documented a shortage of qualified professionals. As you know, the Class of 2013 is 92 members strong, which represents an increase of six students from previous classes and a step in the right direction.
To further grow our student ranks, we currently have a proposal before the state that will allow the College to expand its class size to 120 students per year. Half of this growth will be earmarked for students who have expressed an interest in food supply veterinary medicine, which will essentially double the number of Cornell graduates prepared to serve this area of the profession. The University has submitted this financial request to the State University of New York as Cornell’s number one strategic priority, requesting funding in excess of $30 million, to address the required capital expansion needed to support an increased student body.
We recognize that the expansion will require additional teaching, laboratory, and service facilities and have organized a committee to investigate the College's physical plant and explore sensible solutions given our activities and current configuration. The committee has retained the services of Ballinger Inc., an architectural, engineering, planning, and interior design firm based in Philadelphia, to assess the opportunities for re-envisioning the College’s footprint and developing a capital master plan that will meet the needs of larger class sizes, including student teaching needs in the hospital, and enhance the College's physical facilities.
In addition, as part of this strategic initiative, the College is exploring the option of adding multiple mini-interviews (MMI) to the admissions process. Medical schools have employed this strategy for several years, which may have the potential for providing additional information that will help predict clinical performance. The admissions committee is exploring this idea and will report back to the faculty in the next calendar year. The MMI would not replace any aspect of the College's current admissions process.
As always, please let me know if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Mike Kotlikoff