Kansas State University

CVM Strategic Plan

Mission:

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine is dedicated to the advancement of health and welfare of animals, people, the environment, and the veterinary profession through excellence in teaching, research, service and outreach.

We are committed to a professional degree program with broad training opportunities across a comprehensive range of companion and exotic animals, and livestock species. Our focus is on initiatives that address important societal needs at a local, national and global level.

Vision:

Exceptional teaching. Impactful research. Outstanding service. Extraordinary graduates.

Challenge:

The overarching strategic priority of the CVM is to remain fully-accredited with the American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education (AVMA-COE). During the 2024 accreditation site visit, the AVMA-COE stated the current funding model is not sustainable. Kansas State is one of the lowest funded Colleges of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in the United States.  Operating support (state funding and tuition revenue) is $12M below the average state-funded college of veterinary medicine.  Annual state funding (SGF 5003) to the College of Veterinary Medicine has been largely flat since 2002, with the exception of a $5M supplement (SGF 5023) designated to support research productivity since 2012. State funding to support the educational program and service missions has not increased materially in more than 20 years (2002). From 2002 to 2016, revenue from Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) student tuition more than tripled (3.3 times) to maintain accreditation standards and manage inflationary expenses.  In 2015, a national publication revealed Kansas State University held the fifth highest tuition rates and educational debt in the US.  Tuition remained frozen from 2016 to 2023.  Faculty and staff numbers have been markedly decreased to accommodate frozen tuition, the Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) budget model, and flat state funding. Kansas State University currently has the lowest number of faculty members of any state-funded North American veterinary college that maintains a teaching hospital. In addition, the CVM is responsible for maintaining the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for the State of Kansas (KSVDL). The success of the CVM strategic plan and the ability of the college to continue to serve the state is dependent on a sustainable funding model.

Goal 1:  Maintain and build programs that are responsive to needs of the State of Kansas      

Strategy 1.1:  Ensure a pipeline of qualified DVM graduates serving Kansas

DVM Program:  The college attracts a strong applicant pool of approximately 2000 applicants for 120 seats.  The class size is fixed.  However, the proportion of Kansas residents admitted could be shifted from 50:70 to 60:60 (Kansans to non-Kansans).  The current impediment is the funding model of the college.  Loss of tuition revenue from the 2017 admissions model at 45:75 to 60:60 is approximately $2M. An adjustment in the state line item allocation to the CVM would allow a budget neutral shift in student composition to 60:60. DVM students that are from Kansas are more likely to remain in the state after graduation compared to out-of-state graduates.  Currently, the 4-year graduation rate is 95% and the 6-year graduation rate is 96.6%. The National Board Examination pass rate remains far above the national average (95%; national average=88%) and new graduate employment is typically 99%. 

Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK): Sixty percent of Kansas livestock producers report a shortage of veterinarians in rural Kansas.  Veterinarians are not accessible to support livestock production for routine and emergency care in some regions of that state.  The Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK) was established by the Kansas Legislature in 2006 to provide a financial incentive for graduates to practice in rural Kansas communities (SGF 5013: $400,000). The Program was expanded in 2022 to a $650,000 appropriation and now provides $25,000/student/year for approximately seven students in each class. VTPRK students have specifically-designed learning opportunities in cattle production, technical skills, small business management, marketing and public health to strengthen their success in rural communities.  Upon completion of the DVM degree, each student is required to work at full-time in veterinary practice with 50% or more food animal patients in a Kansas county with fewer than 40,000 residents.  For each year (up to four years total) the student works in rural Kansas, $25,000 of their loan is forgiven.  Ninety-eight percent of scholarship recipients have fulfilled or are filling their responsibility. After four years, 93% remain in a qualifying county in Kansas.  The average county population served since the inception of the program is approximately 12,000.  Expanding the program to 10 students per class would increase the number of graduates available to address the shortage of large animal veterinarians in Rural Kansas. 

Strategy 1.2:  Maintain accessible veterinary medical services for Kansans:  Discover. Teach. Heal.

The Veterinary Health Center provides an applied learning experience for every DVM student and is the single most important educational tool in the DVM program. In addition, the hospital represents one of the largest service and outreach programs for the university, providing 24-hour care (primary, specialty, emergency) for animal owners of all species.  Medical services have been provided for more than 35,000 animals in fiscal year 2024 representing every county in Kansas.  A national shortage of specialty faculty serving in academic practice threatens our teaching hospital.  In our strategic planning survey, 75% of faculty indicated their job satisfaction was high or extremely high. With twelve new veterinary colleges forthcoming, the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) estimates the shortage of academic clinical faculty nationwide will exceed 1000 positions.  Recruitment and retention of faculty has never been more challenging.  Consequently, clinical salaries are escalating in private and academic practice.  Universities with strong funding models will prevail in the arms race for faculty.

Societal impact through service-learning was an intentional goal of our 2017 strategic plan. The Shelter Medicine program has provided the platform for students to engage in high-impact educational practices. Through nine academic years, more than 47,000 surgical sterilizations have been performed by nearly 1000 fourth-year veterinary students during 2,600 trips to 30+ partners under the supervision of a faculty member with expertise in shelter medicine. Students performed an average of 52 surgeries during their two-week, elective rotation. The program has expanded to provide basic medical care for pets owned by vulnerable populations. Community outreach now provides care for animals that would not otherwise receive medical care at more than 100 community outreach events each year. Most students enroll in the shelter medicine rotation to enhance their surgical skills, and ultimately recognize the profound impact of their work on homeless pets. In addition to surgical skills, participation in shelter medicine strengthens skills in physical examination, preventive medicine, biosecurity, population medicine, interpersonal communication, pain management and anesthesia. The Shelter Medicine program was awarded Kansas State University’s 2017 Award for Excellence in Engagement and Community Outreach received the 2024 Award for Excellence in Engagement. Future Vets Helping Future Pets.

Additional service-learning, community outreach events involving veterinary students, staff and faculty include the Birthing Center at the Kansas State Fair, The American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City, the Dodge City and Kaw Valley Rodeos, dozens of community outreach events for vulnerable pet-owning populations, camps for future veterinarians, and student-led STEM content for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Both the Veterinary Health Center and Shelter Medicine programs require strong operational funding to continue the educational mission and service to the public. Hospital revenue supports staff salaries, medical equipment, medications and supplies, but does not support faculty salaries.  Private and corporate donors provide enhancements for shelter medicine, but do not support faculty salaries.  Both programs require substantial support from the college to be viable and both are critical to our training programs.

Strategy 1.3:  Maintain accessible, responsive veterinary diagnostic services for Kansans: Develop. Defend. Deliver.

The State of Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (KSVDL) is also one of the largest service and outreach programs at the university.  The KSVDL offers more than 500 diagnostic tests for all species and processes more than 500,000 samples including the largest rabies laboratory in the world, serving all 105 Kansas counties, 50 states and 52 countries. KSVDL provided COVID-19 testing for K-State personnel and regional healthcare facilities and served as the overflow testing laboratory for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The KSVDL caseload increases annually requiring a 61% increase in staff positions over the past 5 years.  KSVDL clients include veterinarians, pet owners, livestock producers, zoos and industry and government partners.  

KSVDL serves as a Level 1-National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) facility and is fully-accredited for veterinary (American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians) and human (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) testing.  KSVDL is the first U.S. VDL to be accepted by the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and is one of approximately 60 university and government laboratories that make up the NAHLN, which provides a framework for the coordination of federal and state animal disease diagnostic laboratory infrastructure, and capacity to respond to foreign animal disease outbreaks. The KSVDL works with the NAHLN network to help protect the United States economy and livestock industries from foreign animal disease.  As an immediate neighbor to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), it is critical to maintain a high-functioning, NAHLN-accredited diagnostic laboratory.

The current facilities housing the KSVDL are declining, creating risk for the state’s animal/livestock sector.  With increases in testing demand and increased staff, the undersized and outdated KSVDL facilities continue to create limitations in capacity, quality control, new test development and safety.  Cases are currently being turned away due to space and staff constraints.  Co-location of all KSVDL services within a single building will improve efficiencies for the laboratory and help maintain the high-quality diagnostic testing for future generations.

Strategy 1.4:  Support and training for staff employees.  During our strategic planning survey, 81% of staff stated their job satisfaction was high or extremely high. The greatest facilitators of job satisfaction were passion for their work, engagement in meaningful work, and interaction with colleagues. Written comments sought more streamlined processes for faculty and staff evaluation, continued facility renovation, salary concerns, career ladders, and continued/expanded support for teaching and research.  Maintaining 400+ staff positions across the college has been challenging in recent years.  The number of staff positions have grown in the VHC and KSVDL with increasing case numbers and case complexity. NBAF is competing for skilled laboratory staff by hiring our technical research and service (KSVDL) positions. Remote work opportunities in private and academic sectors have created vacancies in professional staff positions. A shortage of skilled veterinary nurses creates challenges for patient care for veterinarians across the state of Kansas.  A strong funding model and professional development program will prevail in the arms race for skilled staff. We look forward to participating in the university’s Compensation Study and Career Architecture Development initiative to revitalize our compensation structure and establish supportive training and evaluation focused on career progression and performance.

Goal 2:  Maintain and build programs that support the veterinary profession

In 2021, a comprehensive, data-driven curriculum review of the DVM program was completed. Data sources used by the task force included surveys of graduating seniors, alumni and employer surveys, workforce reports, American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) competencies for graduate veterinarians, and curricula of other veterinary and health professions colleges. Overall goals were to produce practice-ready graduates with measurable skills, provide clinical case exposure earlier, and focus on clinical relevance and application of educational content. It was important to remain credit hour neutral (169 hours) to protect student time.  The new curriculum plan was approved on 11/19/2021 by a unanimous faculty vote.  Certificate programs were developed to provide thematic educational opportunities that strengthen career development and graduate marketability. Certificates programs require candidates to select 14 hours of elective courses in a particular theme. In addition, externships, special projects, presentations and advanced technical skills are required to achieve the certificate. Five certificates have been implemented:  Food animal medicine, Shelter medicine, Exotics and Zoologic medicine, Equine Practice, and Sustainability.  Future certificate programs include Business Management and Surgical Skills.

Strategy 2.1:  Continuous curricular review and revision

Implementation of the new curriculum began in Fall 2022 with the incoming 2026 DVM class. The CVM curriculum committee evaluates all core courses on a 4-year rotation, using iSeek® to review course materials and online examination questions. This tool allows the CVM Curriculum Committee to broaden course review with a holistic-curriculum perspective and enhance coordination of material across courses and curriculum years. The search function allows everyone to quickly identify redundancy and omission. Course syllabi were modified during the fall 2024 submission to identify published Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) priorities associated with each topic, allowing these competencies to be indexed and mapped across the curriculum.  Implementation and fine-tuning of the new curriculum will continue through 2026.  A new curriculum review will be initiated in 2028.

Strategy 2.2:  Continuing education (CE) for practicing veterinarians

CVM faculty deliver four regular CE meetings a year, attracting 500 in-person attendees with an additional 400 participants online.  In 2024, 12 meetings have been offered to meet constituent needs and introduce the skills of new faculty members attracting more than 1000 learners.  In addition to 12 formal CE meetings, the college is offering a CE breakfast for regional alumni on the first Friday of every month.  CE meetings support practicing veterinarians to maintain their licensure and provide familiarity with specialists in the hospital.  In addition, in-person CE events support the Manhattan economy through restaurants and hotel stays. CVM events attract several thousand people from out of state each year. In the immediate future, the college would like to provide educational programming for veterinary technicians and animal owners. While faculty enjoy offering CE lectures and interacting with regional veterinarians, the capacity to maintain the current pace is limited. Adequate faculty staffing is necessary to continue to support this mission.

Strategy 2.3:  High quality training facilities

The current small animal surgical theaters do not accommodate technical advances for common ophthalmic, thoracic, and orthopedic surgical procedures. The room size and configuration of anesthetic induction, surgical suites, and patient recovery do not support efficient workflow. A $7M renovation will provide seven surgical suites and double the table capacity.  Fundraising is complete.  Architects and construction teams have been selected through the state bid process.  Anesthetic induction will accommodate eight patients at once. The recovery room is designed for patient comfort, safety, and efficiency, and is located adjacent to the small animal intensive care unit. The design includes modern surgical scrub facilities (hands free), appropriate barrier separation of sterile and non-sterile spaces, and strategic storage for efficient workflow. Contemporary design will enhance student and house officer training experience as they prepare to enter the veterinary workforce. Renovation will begin in November, 2024.

The college has renovated all major educational spaces in the past six years, with one exception.  The second-floor laboratory is used for instruction of second-year veterinary students in pathology, virology, bacteriology, and parasitology in large and small animals.  Nineteen credit hours of core DVM coursework are taught in this space. The second-year laboratory space is used to train students in standard diagnostic techniques and microscope skills for these key disciplines.  In short, students learn to perform every cage-side, stall-side, chute-side, and in-house diagnostic test available to veterinary practitioners in this space. These skills are an important component of our mission to prepare practice-ready graduates with comprehensive day-one skills. The proposed renovation to this laboratory space features diagnostic pods that will contain all of the diagnostic equipment a new veterinary graduate would encounter in primary care practice.  Estimated costs for renovation are $7.5M. The college has raised $2.4M for this renovation to date.  Fundraising through corporate and private donors is ongoing

Goal 3:  Maintain and Build Relevant Research Programs

The college is poised to become a global leader for the discovery and development of biosecurity strategies to combat emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases. K-State is the only U.S. university with a full continuum of biosecurity level 1 (BSL-1) through BSL-3 enhanced facilities collocated on one campus. Despite an 18% reduction in research faculty, the college remains ranked 6^th nationally among veterinary colleges in research productivity.  K-State has accumulated a critical mass of faculty with expertise in infectious, transboundary and zoonotic diseases. The Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Infectious Diseases (CEZID) is an NIH-funded center within the College of Veterinary Medicine that has financially-supported faculty recruitment with expertise in infectious, zoonotic diseases. Very few scientists in the world have the training to work with select agents in high-containment, live animal facilities. The collective expertise in vaccine development, regulatory affairs and flexible manufacturing capacity simply does not exist anywhere else in the world and is positioned to answer the most challenging and urgent questions pertaining the infectious pathogens with national and global significance.

Strategy 3.1:  Build research infrastructure

The college successfully obtained an NIH CO6 Biomedical Construction Grant ($3.4M) to construct a 5,000 ft2 core research facility in Mosier Hall.  This new facility assembles state-of-the-art technologies for coordinated services for academic, corporate and federal researchers in imaging and molecular analyses through microscopic imaging, flow cytometry and cell sorting, and next-generation sequencing.  The space provides a complete range of services from whole tissues to single-cell nucleic acid analyses.  In addition to serving as a university resource, the core laboratory will be used to train graduate students in these technologies.  Construction is complete.  Implementation of efficient processes for end-users will be developed in through 2025. 

Additional laboratory renovation throughout the college is necessary to remain a strong, collaborative research center with the ability to recruit and retain research talent.  Funding for high-quality, consistent research equipment, including maintenance contracts, repair, and replacement is a challenge for departments and investigators.  Additional, infrastructure support includes stronger communication of research achievements, more frequent research meetings, internal grant review, grant-writing support, and implementation of a publication-tracking platform.

Strategy 3.2:  Strengthen corporate research interests

The college has a strong history of engagement with pharmaceutical, pet food, and diagnostic companies. Current research and training agreements exist with many pharmaceutical and diagnostic veterinary companies.  The college is focused on stewardship of these gifts and obtaining additional support for educational programs, collaborative research, facilities and equipment. Our emerging global reputation for transboundary infectious disease research will enhance opportunities to attract corporate pharmaceutical partners, licensing agreements, and workforce talent. Corporate support for research is currently between $1M and $1.5M each year.  We look forward to working with the new structure to support development of intellectual property by faculty and corporate engagement for the college.

Strategy 3.3:  Obtain support for graduate training

All graduate students in the college of veterinary medicine are assessed full tuition.  There are no tuition waivers granted for graduate teaching assistants in the college. Individual principal investigators support traditional MS and PhD candidates.  The college supports the administration of two unique graduate programs, the One-Year Masters (OYM) program and the Masters of Public Health (MPH) program.  In addition, the college incurs all accreditation expenses for the MPH and the BS in Public Health. Annual expenses to deliver these two graduate programs are $584,645.  Additional administrative costs are associated with our traditional research-based PhD and MS programs.  Graduate tuition generated by the college has increased 44% since implementation of the OYM program.  The total graduate tuition generated by the college is $1,429,681.  We continue to request a tangible return on our investment to develop these new academic programs that have successfully produced new tuition revenue.

Summary:

We are seeking the opportunity to remain relevant to the state of Kansas and the veterinary profession, using average funding resources.  The current funding model is not sustainable.  The college has met the limits of achieving more with less. A $12M increase in SGF 5003 will provide resources in direct support of teaching and service.  The additional funding would result in an operating budget consistent with an average college of veterinary medicine in the United States.  Adequate funding will allow the DVM training program to remain accessible and will facilitate students and faculty engagement in enhanced service learning and additional services for animal owners. 

Timeline: