The university, because of the values it celebrates, is a special place for creative minds. The search for truth is central to the mission of the university. The knowledge that we pass on to inquiring minds must be subjected to the litmus test of inquiry, doubt, hypothesis, and ultimately to empirical testing. Peter Abelard wrote, "By doubting we are led to inquire, and by inquiry, we perceive the truth." Great universities have their life through men and women who are free to think and dream and through bright students who are free to inquire and learn.
Universities produce two primary products. One of these is the creation of new knowledge through research, and the second is graduates who carry this knowledge into society to enhance personal development, the quality of life, and the operation and productivity of our businesses, government, and other institutions. Few people are aware of the enormous diversity of job opportunities that exist for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to the well-known private practice of veterinary medicine, veterinary graduates serve government, industry, and academia in a plethora of roles.
Veterinary medicine touches almost every critical aspect of human life: the food we eat and the clothes we wear, our physical, emotional, and economic well-being, and the quality of our environment.
We live in a world that changes so rapidly that the nervous system is taxed to maintain homeostasis, where ethical and societal issues interact with scientific discovery. In such a world, we must be careful that creativity is not stifled but encouraged to proceed with proper careful concern for societal values. Intellectual and cultural development are based on discovery. The gathering of facts is not enough. It requires imagination to discover a new way of linking observations into patterns that explain how things work.
Dean Joseph W. Alexander firmly believes that teaching and research are inseparable. A complete scholar not only presents a modern, up-to-date course through library research and preparation but also conducts and directs active laboratory or clinical research. Research complements good teaching by stimulating the intellect and maintaining the inquisitive nature of the scholar. Research is the essential component of scholarship in the veterinary sciences.
Malnutrition is the leading cause of human illness and misery around the globe. Veterinary medicine is helping to feed a hungry world by reducing livestock losses from disease and parasites, advancing a better understanding of human and animal nutritional needs, and improving the efficiency of food production.
U.S. agriculture has emerged from eras in which labor, then mechanical and chemical technologies sustained an ability to produce food that was the envy of the world. Agriculture is entering the biological and information ages in which our understanding of genetic engineering and related technologies and our ability to deliver vital information will determine our place in the world's economy. The use of biological agents in production agriculture offers the promise of efficient food production with fewer and lower levels of chemical inputs with greater sustainability of economy and environment. Computers and telecommunications satellites are revolutionizing the ways in which we deliver and access information.
Americans are not, however, the only people in the world who understand that the world food market is growing and the need for sustainability is more urgent. Unless we do the right things, and do them quickly, our position as the world's agricultural and economic leader is in jeopardy. Competitiveness and excellence in veterinary medicine are imperative today, if Oklahomans are to be at the leading edge in the production of food and fiber tomorrow.
Since Oklahoma's resources are limited, the College has had to define areas of priority and research emphasis. Beef cattle and horses are the species upon which we have focused state research funds. Respiratory diseases, anaplasmosis, and reproductive disorders are the conditions targeted for the majority of state support. In addition, Oklahoma legislators have recognized the importance of animal health and environmental research directed toward the State's rapidly growing poultry industry and have earmarked appropriations for poultry research and a Poultry Veterinarian. Research in the College clearly is not limited to these species or conditions, but most of the support for research in other species and conditions must come from other than state legislative allocations.
Veterinary medicine serves as the medical arm of agriculture, is the foundation of health in man's animal companions, contributes significantly to human medicine and surgery, and is a sentinel of environmental protection. Expanded research in all these areas is essential if the College is to contribute to a healthy life for Oklahomans and all Americans.