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Mark DavisThe Sower
Henderson
Mark DavisThe Sower
! Graduate says UNI n
eeds money, not new veterinary school
wen Henderson wanted to become a veterinarian. But
when he graduated from UNL in 1977, he faced a dilemma. Like aU
UNL graduates in vet medicine, he would have to transfer to
another university to complete his veterinary degree.
That could change if Nebraska legislators approve LB 204, a bill
to allow UNL to enter into a joint veterinary medicine program 'with
a university already operating a vet school. The program would
send accepted students to the second university for two years, then
return the students to Nebraska for clinical education.
Program advocates say Nebraska needs the veterinary program
because it would increase the number of faculty members and
research capabilities, provide advanced clinical research for the
state and help the continuing education efforts in veterinary
medicine, according to Gene White, coordinator of the regional
college veterinary program. Students like Henderson then could
complete their educations at UNL.
But Henderson, now a Lincoln veterinarian, says he's not sure
UNL needs a vet school. Although he is not against the school, he
thinks the diversity shouldn't pursue a veterinary program at this
time.
Henderson said the current bill, "in the hands of the politi
cians," stands a good chance of passing. But, he said, the current
veterinary science department suffers from a lick of funding and
personnel.
The school does "fine" for what it has, Henderson said, but if
energy had been spent improving what Nebraska has instead of
trying to establish the regional school, "we could have been far
ahead of where we are now.
"It's better now, but I can remember when they had empty
rooms and offices out there because there was nothing out there to
put in them," Henderson said. "Our biggest need is not a vet
school, but funding to build on the existing physical structures at
East Campus. I'm not really against the vet school, but we just can't
economically justify it anymore.
"If they're not willing to support what they've got to make it top
notch, then I doubt their sincerity to make a new veterinarian
school top level," Henderson said.
Henderson, a native of Brock, earned his bachelor's degree in
agriculture at UNL ia 1974. He planned on being a farmer, but two
drought years and difficulty getting started made him turn to his
second option veterinary medicine.
Henderson relumed to Nebraska and completed his require
ments for veterinary school through the university's existing
undergraduate school He was accepted to tiie University of Mis
souri School of Veterinary Medicine in the fell of 1977. He
graduated in 1981 and practiced at Curtis before moving to Lincoln
six months ago. He operates out of a small room in the back of the
A-4 Small Animal Hospital on South Street
Henderson said the present structure for undergraduate study
of veterinary medicine is successful, and problems with the pro
posed program, like duplication of staff experts at the two schools,
may be too much of a risk for the state.
"No matter what we do, we're going to have to have the same
experts at both schools," Henderson said. "I don't think they're
considering the expense of getting and keeping those faculty
members. It (the new plan) gives us a lot of expense that we would
have regardless if we had a (regional) school of our own."
The modified veterinary school plan was proposed after the.
original plan, which called for a regional veterinary college in
Lincoln, died last year.
In 1974 the Old West Regional Commission, acknowledging the
lack of veterinary medicine schools in the Nebraska, Wyoming and
Dakota areas, proposed a $10 million school to be built in Lincoln.
The price kept going up as the plan was delayed and argued. At least
two states had to adopt the plan before federal sources could be
used for the project. But no other state came forward with the
needed money.
about new programs since "there's no telling what it's going to do
to theirs."
But, White said, the money is being given to other schools, so the
new plan shouldn't take any more money than the university
already is spending
One of the facts that might have hindered the regional college
proposal was the dwindling enrollment of regional veterinary
schools. Henderson said that when he graduated, students who
came from states that had vet schools were committed to go to that
school Now, enrollment has dropped enough that schools are
accepting applications from anywhere.
Part of the reason for the dropoff, he said, might have been the
realization that the field really isn't that lucrative.
Tighter admissions standards also have contributed to the
dropoff. According to White, in 1984, 5,503 students across the
nation met the minimum requirements to enter veterinary school.
However, only 2,300 were accepted.
In 1982, 6,182 applied White said vet school officials feel they
are still getting the best applicants, but lesser qualified applicants
are removing themselves from consideration earlier.
'. . . lean remember when they had empty rooms and offices out there
because there was nothing out there to put in them . . . I'm not really
against the vet school but we just can't economically justify it anymore. '
By 1983, the price of the school had risen to $30 million.
Nebraska's Legislature authorized $13.7 million In state matching
funds for the vet school, but the money would be given only if at
least two states participated Federal legislation assured that the
state of Nebraska would get dose to $ 1 3 million for the school, but
said only one other school needed to be in the proposal.
In October last year, the original regional school proposal was
scaled down to the split year plan. White said the current plan will
keep money in the state that had been given to other states to allow
Nebraska students to get veterinary training there. He said it will
cost about $16 million to build the needed clinical laboratories at
East Campus and at the Roman L Hruska U.S. Meat Animal
Research Center at Clay Center.
"We're already spending that much money to send our students
to other states," White said "Essentislly the same dollars would
give us a lot more benefits."
Vet students have to go to school the same amount of time as
medical doctors, but the pay isn't as much and the work isn't
glamorous, he said
"People see that and wonder if it (vet school) is worth the long
hours," he said "Why do that when you're no better off than if you
had stopped with a bachelor's?"
Henderson said the current system, which sends Nebraska
undergraduates to schools such as Missouri, may be a discouraging
element to potential students, bat most of them are no worse off
than other students when they reach graduate school
Statistics support Henderson's theories. Nebraska has one of the
nation's highest percentages of accepted applicants at out-of-stite
vet schools. More than 70 percent of Nebraska's applicants were
accepted in 1983, according to a study by the dean of the Michigan
State veterinary school
'I was satisfied with it," Robertson said about the present UNL
When the reduced plan was Introduced, among its first detrac- structure. "I thought I was as well prepared as any other stu;
tors were faculty. But White said faculty are always concerned (at Missouri)." Tad V. Triplet! HI