| Major infrastructure developments are being planned for both the Sydney and Camden campuses. The Faculty and the Veterinary Science Foundation successfully developed a proposal to secure a two million dollar grant from the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training’s capital development pool fund. This grant adds to financial support from the University, and contributes towards the development of a new lecture theatre and teaching complex on the Camden campus. Stage 1 of the Valentine Charlton Cat Centre is now fully operational, and fundraising for the new Dog Centre is now a major priority.
The new Dean, Professor Leo Jeffcott, has identified priorities for the financial sustainability of the Faculty. They include expansion of the research programs, supported by appointments of new staff, and University support for the teaching programs in the clinics.
The Faculty now administers two degrees, with the Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience launched in 2005. Seventy five HECS students and four full fee paying students have commenced the course. The degree involves studies in management and welfare of wildlife, farm, and laboratory animals. The Faculty contributes approximately fifty percent of the teaching resources to this degree, with other contributions provided from the faculty of Science and the faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
The second visit to the Faculty by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) was conducted in April. A final decision on accreditation of the BVSc by the AVMA will take place in October 2005. In an exit interview with senior University personnel, the Chair of the AVMA group, Professor Mary Hirst of the University of California Davis, said the group was most impressed with the Faculty’s students, staff, teaching program and its research profile.
An important component of the Year 5 program of the BVSc is the four week rotation undertaken by student veterinary interns with the Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB). This experience is fundamental to increasing student awareness of rural veterinary issues and opportunities for employment of graduates in rural settings. |
