OSU veterinary college rebuilds finances, faculty
Accreditation site visit to Stillwater uncovers insufficiencies resulting in probationary status
STILLWATER — A sharp decline in state funding over three years landed Oklahoma State University's veterinary college in financial trouble that lowered its accreditation status.
State appropriations declined nearly 26 percent since 2015 and raised concerns during a site visit last spring by members of the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The council placed the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences on probationary accreditation in September citing major deficiencies in standards for finances, faculty and students.
The three are interrelated, said Dr. Chris Ross, interim dean of the college.
When faculty retired or left for another job in the middle of a bad budget year, the position was held open to help offset lost funding, Ross said. That impacted the faculty-student ratio.
The AVMA Council on Education evaluation pointed to the need for adequate finances and sufficient faculty so all enrolled students can achieve their educational goals.
"Major deficiencies have more than minimal impact on student learning or safety. These deficiencies must be corrected in two years," Dr. Patrick Farrell, council chair, wrote in a letter outlining the problems.
'Turning a train around'
Ross said OSU began addressing the funding problem two years ago by seeking permission from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to enroll more out-ofstate students in the veterinary college.
Starting this fall, the college doubled the number of nonresident students admitted from 24 to 48, Ross said. The number of resident students remained at 58. The 106-member class is the largest in the history of OSU’s nearly 70-year-old veterinary medicine program.
Nonresident students pay higher tuition and fees, so increasing their enrollment number brings in more money. After four years, the additional new revenue will be $3.5 million to $4 million annually, Ross said.
Additionally, OSU will give the college $600,000 in new revenue each year to support hiring new faculty, Ross said.
“There is urgency to try to replace faculty we lost,” he said. “We’ve undertaken an aggressive hiring program to rebuild faculty numbers.”
Since June 2016, the college has filled 10 positions, including the dean, Ross noted in the plan to address deficiencies he submitted to the council in November.
Dr. Carlos Risco, a tenured professor at the University of Florida, will come on board in March as dean at an annual salary of $300,000.
“We’ve got a pretty vibrant faculty now,” Ross said. “They’re all committed to the mission of the school.”
An additional 10 positions are open to be filled as increased tuition revenue comes in, he said.
OSU will fund the addition of a new classroom to accommodate the growth in enrollment, Ross said.
Recovering from the damage done by the state funding cut “is like turning a train around,” he said. “I think we’re going in the right direction in a big way.”
The program is producing successful graduates, Ross said. The class of 2017 had a 100 percent pass rate on the board exam, and the new veterinarians went to work at a starting salary $6,000 more than the national average, he said.