Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Department of
Date of this Version
2001
Abstract
Twenty Departmental students completed their Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science degrees in 2001, nineteen in the Veterinary Science Major and one in the Veterinary Technologist Major. Twenty-five Nebraska residents were admitted into the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, twelve of them having completed all or part of their pre-veterinary studies at UNL. Seven students completed their Master of Science degree in Veterinary Science. Enrollment in the Distance Education MS in Veterinary Science Master of Science, Distance Education Program increased to seven students, with several applications still being processed or expected. Three new Distance Education courses were approved, as follows: VBMS 847: Interdisciplinary Concepts in Beef ~ roduction (ASCI 847) (3 cr, max 6) VBMS 848: Introduction to Veterinary Technology (1-2 cr), and VBMS 925: Critial Reading of the Epidemiology Literature (1 cr, max 4). The seventh class began the GPYEC Beef Cattle Production Management Series in June 2001 with fifteen participants, several of who also enrolled for academic credit as a part of the Distance Ed MS program.
A proposal for establishing a new PhD degree program in Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBMS) was submitted to the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, in October 2001, with a goal of gaining approval for the program by Fall 2002. If approved, the CBMS will be an interdepartmental program based in the VBMS Department, which will provide administrative support for the program. Two faculty members in the School of Biological Sciences and one in the Department of Plant Pathology, along with the VBMS faculty members who are Graduate Faculty Fellows make up the initial faculty of the proposed CBMS degree program.
Data compiled by the Dean/Director of the Agricultural Research Division demonstrated that the VBMS Department ranked third among twenty IANR Administrative Units in extramural grant and contract income for the calendar year 2000, generating $274,453 per research FTE. Over the four-year period 1997- 2000, the Department ranked fourth among the IANR units, with an average of $207,699 per research FTE. Departmental grant income for fiscal year 2001 totaled $2,028,189. The immunohistochemstry test on bovine skin biopsies developed by Veterinary Diagnostic Center became an extremely popular test for detecting cattle that are persistently infected with BVD virus. This test attracted large numbers of samples, submitted from throughout the US. Fee income generated by the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System totaled $853,284 for fiscal year 2001.
The pre-harvest beef quality assurance program (BQA) and pre-harvest hazard analysis critical control point programs continued to be major veterinary extension initiatives. Over 70% of the Nebraska feedlot cattle production and 30% of the Nebraska cow-calf production is conducted under a certified BQA program. Recognition of the importance of the on-going animal disease biosecurity veterinary extension programs was heightened by the continuing problem of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in England, followed by the September 11,2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Drs. Dale Grotelueschen and Gary Sherman resigned their faculty positions at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center and the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center, respectively. Due to University budget reductions, the faculty position occupied by Dr. Sherman was permanently deleted.