Despite predicting a $19 million budget shortfall that may force them to cut departments and freeze hiring, Oregon State University is moving ahead with plans to expand its College of Veterinary Medicine.
On Oct. 19, the State Board of Higher Education voted 3-2 to approve a proposal from OSU asking the Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board for $14.5 million over the next two years. The money would be used to expand OSU’s veterinary program and finance the expansion and renovation of the building that currently houses the college, but the proposal has prompted criticism from a number of sources.
University of Oregon Provost John Moseley said that in light not only of OSU’s budget problems but also of a predicted state budget shortfall of $290 million, the current objective for universities around the state should be protecting instructional programs — not expansion.
“When we’re in a situation where we don’t have enough money to fund programs we have, we shouldn’t be starting new ones,” Moseley said. “Particularly expensive ones.”
Tim Young, a student representative to the board and one of two board members to vote against the proposal, called it “fiscally irresponsible.” Young, a University of Oregon political science major, agreed that there was a need for the proposed expansion but said the time is not right to expand.
“Once again, politicking has clouded the judgment of this board,” he said. “Somebody in the Legislature has made this a priority, but if we’re making decisions based on what the Legislature wants then we’re not doing our job — we’re a rubber stamp.”
The proposal consists of two parts. First, OSU is requesting $8 million in cash and bonds from the state general fund for construction and renovation of Magruder Hall, the building that houses the college. Second, it asks the Legislature to approve a $6.5 million per-biennium operating budget for the college.
Dr. Howard Gelberg, dean of the college, defended the proposal, saying that the money spent on expanding the program would save money in the long run for both OSU and the state. The college currently functions as a joint venture with Washington State University, wherein students are required to spend two years taking classes at WSU in order to complete the training required to become licensed veterinarians. OSU pays $4 million per biennium to WSU for the program, Bender said.
“There are 27 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States,” Gelberg said. “OSU is the only one that doesn’t do full training on-site.” Gelberg also pointed out that the college currently has no control over its curriculum, and WSU has the option to terminate the relationship at any time. He said that OSU has an obligation to the state to develop a more efficient program. But in light of OSU’s recent budget woes — as well as its plans to operate a branch campus in Bend and improve its engineering program — there are doubts as to whether the emergency board will approve the proposal.
According to Steven Bender, the legislative analyst for the Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office, the project was anticipated during the last legislative session and $4 million was set aside for it at the end of the session. But he said it’s anyone’s guess as to what the emergency board will decide to do with the proposal when it meets Nov. 15 and 16. “I don’t know how this is going to fare,” Bender said. “I’ve started to review their request, and it seems consistent with what was earlier approved by the legislature. The question is whether it’s prudent to grant the request.”