Alaska Veterinary Program Partnership
“2+2” Articulated Program between UAF and Colorado State University
1. Is 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.”
2. 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
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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.
3. 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”)
School
Number of Applications
Number of Acceptances
UC Davis
1,067
133
Colorado State U
1,834
138
Oklahoma State U
452
82
Oregon State U
511
56
Washington State U
940
99
*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.
4. 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
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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 wellqualified 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 families.
Community: 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.
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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).
5. 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 (http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/1yremploy.asp):
Table 2. Results of AVMA 2011 Graduate Employment Survey
Percent %
ALL GRADUATES
Mean
first-year salary ($)
FULL TIME ONLY
Private Clinical Practice
Food animal exclusive
Food animal predominant
Mixed animal
Companion animal predominant
Companion animal exclusive
Equine
1.9
2.0
9.4
5.1
23.9
2.5
71,096
67,338
62,655
69,654
69,789
43,405
Public or Corporate Employment
College/University
Uniformed Services
Federal Government
State/Local Government
Industry/commercial
Not-for-profit
0.1
2.0
0.5
0.0
0.1
0.3
n
65,692
n
NA
n
n
0.3
52.0
100.0
48.0
n
29,116
46,971
66,469
Other
Advanced Study Programs
All Employment Types
Mean (Excluding advanced education)
Total 2011 U.S. Veterinary Medical College Graduates reporting salary
1,477
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The 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.
6. 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: $125,000
Future 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.
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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 Allocation
2013
Enrollment
TOTAL
Revenue
Admin
Allocation
TOTAL-Admin
2014
7 Residents
3 Nonresidents
10 Residents
14 Residents
6 Nonresidents
20 Residents
14 Residents
6 Nonresidents
20 Residents
$254,275
$359,251
$549,234
$775,983
$593,173
$838,061
$0
$254,275
$0
$359,251
$0
$549,234
$0
$775,983
$0
$593,173
$0
$838,061
2016
Enrollment
TOTAL
Revenue
Admin
Allocation
TOTAL-Admin
2015
20 Residents
2017
14 Residents
6 Nonresidents
20 Residents
2018
14 Residents
6 Nonresidents
20 Residents
14 Residents
6 Nonresidents
$640,627
$905,106
$691,877
$977,515
$747,227
$1,055,716
$75,132
$565,495
$133,904
$771,202
$80,391
$611,486
$143,278
$834,237
$86,019
$661,209
$153,307
$902,409
As 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
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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 proceed
Annual number of applications received, from residents and from nonresidents
Annual number of applications accepted, residents and nonresidents
Enrollment in the 2+2 program, both at UAF and CSU, residents and nonresidents
Tuition revenue, including surcharge or “supertuition”
Research grant/contract funding awards to UAF program faculty
Research publications by UAF program faculty and graduate and professional students
Number of graduates
Initial employment of graduates (employer and nature of position)
Subsequent employment of graduates following the initial position
Reference:
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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