Purdue University Veterinary Medical
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 1
JUNE 1986
A Message from the Dean
Hugh Bilson Lewis' New Direction for SVM
The question posed most frequently to
me during my first few weeks at Purdue
has been, "What is your plan for the Veterinary School?" Everyone seems to expect me to have a plan!
On my arrival at Lynn Hall in March, I
was greeted by a poster in the main
lobby, which depicted Huey Lewis, the
rock star, giving the thumbs-up sign and
saying: "Purdue SVM - Straight to the
top!" I don't have a detailed plan yet,
but the author of that message has accurately identified my personal goal for
SVM, as well as my enthusiasm and
commitment to it.
It is worth examining the implications
of     the     message     on     the     poster:
• Purdue SVM is not yet at the top!
• We know what the top is!
• We know where the top is!
A We know how to oet there.
• We have the resources to get there.
Individuals and organizations that shape
the future are those that develop a
vision of the future, identify how to get
there, and then GO FOR IT. The only
resources we need are ourselves: our
ideas, energies, commitment and enthusiasm. The other resources will
follow.
We are currently giving much thought
and attention to these and other questions. Although I do not yet have a grand
plan for SVM, I do have a commitment to
working with our faculty and friends to
develop one. In addition, I believe I know
how to plan. In March we embarked
upon the first step - developing our
vision of the future of the School of
Veterinary Medicine and the veterinary
profession. When our vision is clear, we
will start planning how to get there.
We are presently at the stage of intensive
dialogue involving our faculty, alumni
and friends. The eventual outcome of
this will be a credible and exciting plan;
but it may well take us the best part of a
year to prepare. I intend to participate
in all phases of planning, but to be successful, our plan must come from the
faculty and be enthusiastically endorsed
by them. Any influence I have will no
doubt reflect my personal philosophies as
they relate to veterinary medicine and
education; so, I offer them in lieu of a
plan.
Basic Philosophy
1 try always to be fair, direct and open. I
believe in aiming high and also in having
high expectations of others. Although I
am goal-oriented, I believe it is important
to keep the "big-picture" and "long-
term view" in mind and to adjust plans to
reflect reality, as it unfolds. My commitment to veterinary education, at Purdue
is to strive for all-round excellence. To
be an excellent institution, we must have
excellent faculty (hire/develop), excellent
facilities, excellent equipment and excellent students.
The Future
The most important lesson of history is
rather simple — given the perspective of
hindsight. History consists of a series of
events which have already happened. The
future, presumably, is merely a series of
events which have yet to happen. Since,
to some extent, we can deliberately
choose the events that will occupy our
time (by giving them priority and acting),
it follows logically that we can determine,
to some extent, what our future will be!
In other words, to a considerable extent,
we are in control of our own future. As
a vehicle for the future, we need a stimulating and riveting vision, a plan to get
there, a sustained commitment and a determination to act for the "long-term,"
rather  than react for the  "short-term."
Veterinary Education
Veterinary medicine is an extremely
broad field which is expanding on all
fronts. We are entering a revolutionary
phase in the biologic/medical sciences,
and the pace of change is increasing
dramatically.
Veterinary education, by necessity, is a
mix of education and training for proficiency and competence. Both components demand time and to an extent, are
at odds with each other. Education
involves the training of students to think
critically; to use their minds as instruments of precision and enquiry; to understand and manage information
(finding it, correlating it, reporting it).
Education should lead to a permanently
heightened awareness and capacity for
solving problems and arriving at sound
judgements on issues, both new and old.
It is the necessary foundation for lifelong learning and achievement. Facts are
more or less a tool in this process; too
many facts or too much emphasis on
factual knowledge can interfere with the
educational process. In the words of
Plutarch, "The mind does not need
filling up like a vessel but merely
kindling like fuel."
Training, on the other hand, is quite
different. It relates to the ability to react
quickly and appropriately to particular
issues and situations. Here, the body of
knowledge which is relevant to the practice of veterinary medicine is important.
A good knowledge base is critical for proficiency and competence. It is here that
the knowledge explosion has had its
greatest impact; the time available for
its absorption during the veterinary
training period is simply not sufficient.
Yet, competence is expected of our new
graduates by practitioners and the public.
To be competent, the new graduate must
know and apply current information, a
growing and ever-shifting target. Thus,
training is clearly a somewhat transient
acquisition. As practice changes, what
may have been an appropriate reaction
yesterday, becomes inappropriate today
and possibly could be viewed as malpractice tomorrow.
This dilemma — the conflict between
education and training brought on by the
knowledge explosion and the fixed time
for its absorption, has created an intolerable situation for both students and
faculty. Emphasis on training vis-a-vis
education contributes significantly to
student/faculty stress and burnout, and
has limited the opportunities for career
development of faculty who have to
spend most of their time teaching facts
rather than imparting understanding to
their students or engaging in the generation of new knowledge. It is axiomatic
that to educate veterinary students for
the future, faculty must remain current,
at the leading edge of their disciplines.
They must always have their focus
firmly fixed on the future and be constantly striving to be innovative.
Today's accent on course integration,
factual content, and frequent exams has
emphasized teaching as opposed to
learning; in effect, scholarship is discouraged. Students are required to provide
answers to questions without supplying
the evidence, and receive no encouragement to write and speak lucidly and
grammatically. I believe our profession
is developing a growing illiteracy and
would be in sad shape if it were not for
the fact that for years veterinary medicine has attracted the most gifted students. However satisfactory it may be
in the technical sense, our current training method constitutes an unsatisfactory
education. Graduates lacking a sound
foundation in scho!">rch'n ^r^ i!!—r*ro—
pared for a lifetime of learning and training — an absolute necessity in an era of
rapid and accelerating change.
I think it is time to acknowledge that we
have reached the point where it is no
longer possible to squeeze all the relevant
information into a four-year curriculum.
Rather than fragment the veterinary curriculum into pre-DVM specialty training
programs, I think it is preferable to re-
emphasize the educational component
and institute a formalized mechanism for
post-graduate continued education and
training, consisting of specialized training opportunities and regular informational and technical updates, tailored to
individuals' interests. Such a program
could be used not only to improve
veterinary education, but to also provide a variety of new career opportuities
for our graduates.
H. B. Lewis
New Associate Dean
Dr. Robert Claflin Named to New Post
As mentioned in the accompanying article, plans for
the future of the School of Veterinary Medicine will
be developed during the next twelve months or so.
Since this will be my highest priority and will require
a great deal of my time, I have been acutely conscious of the need to appoint a colleague to help me
run the School. We needed someone who, like Dr.
Hooper, is thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the
School and Purdue University and a proven excellent
administrator. It was a great personal pleasure for me
when Dr. Robert Claflin accepted the position of
associate dean.
I have a very high regard for Dr. Claflin; he has had a very positive influence on my
career, and I view him as a valued friend. His experience as head of the Department
of Veterinary Microbiology, Pathology and Public Health since the School's inception, makes him uniquely qualified for the position. /_/ g Lewis