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Many predicted that in the latter part of the twentieth century modern technology would revolutionize higher education and "create a second Renaissance" (Sculley J. The relationship between business and higher education: A perspective on the 21st century. Commun ACM32:1056-1061, 1989 p1061). However, as the reality of the twenty-first century has set in, it is apparent that these revolutionary prophecies have fallen short. Using the lens of Douglas's Typology of Grid and Group, this case study examines (1) the organizational context of a veterinary medical college at a large Midwestern university; (2) individual faculty members' preferences toward instructional technology use; and (3) the interrelationship of culture and the decision process to implement instructional technology use in curricula. The study has several implications for instructional technology use in veterinary medical educational settings that help explain how cultural context can guide leadership decisions as well as influence faculty motivation and preference. The findings suggest that a key mitigating factor to instructional technology implementation is conflict or concord between the cultural biases of faculty members and actual cultural identity of the college (Stansberry S, Harris EL. Understanding why faculty use (or don't use) IT: Implementation of instructional technology from an organizational culture perspective. In Simonson M, Crawford M, eds. 25th Annual Proceedings: Selected Research and Development Papers Presented at the 2002 National Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, vol. 1. North Miami Beach, FL: Nova Southeastern University:viii, 507).

This article describes the development and implementation of a small animal nutrition course for veterinary technicians using ''blended'' online technology and delivery at multiple sites. Student contact was accomplished through both synchronous and asynchronous Internet platforms. A summary of student evaluations is provided. Application of the process described here may be appropriate where specific content expertise is available in one location and desired in multiple locations. Unique features of the course include (a) course and instructor provided by industry partner, (b) synchronous and asynchronous blended online elements, and (c) multiple schools engaged in merged, simultaneous sessions.

In 1890 the former Veterinary School of Zurich received the order to build a "Eidgenössische Lehrschmiede" (Federal School for Black Smiths) on its campus. It was the intention not only to get more space but simultaneously to build a representative edifice. To make the most of the site the building was to be placed immediately at the wall of the channel of the river Sihl. But this was against the urban regulations of the city of Zurich. During the negotiations with the Council of Zurich the Veterinary School was elevated to a faculty of the university in 1901. All the emphasis now was laid on the changeover to the university and additionally the matter "smithy" was delayed because of the need of a larger building of the institute for anatomy. Finally the huge changes in the private and public transport by trains and motor car reduced the importance of a school for black smiths. However the importance of other projects gained like the enlargement of the stables. The beginning of the First World War buried all plans of a school for black smiths.

While many other veterinary schools have moved away from a traditional university-based ambulatory practice, the Ohio State University's Large Animal Practice has continued to provide a cost-effective and valuable method of preparing students for today's careers in veterinary medicine. The practice provides a full array of services to production, equine, and camelid clients, including herd health, individual animal medicine and surgery, and emergency services. Acquiring established practices from alumni has formed the client base. Four full-time veterinarians operate the clinic. While these same clinicians do some classroom teaching, their primary responsibility is devoted to the five to six fourth-year veterinary students who rotate through the clinic every two weeks. Teaching methods and objectives for these students include case discussions, homework, truck quiz books, and practice management issues. Financially, the clinic runs as a private practice, with minimal support from the college (201,000 US dollars per fiscal year) and a gross income of 676,000 US dollars per year. Thus, in a cost-effective manner, this required core ambulatory rotation provides students with a scientific learning experience that exposes them to all aspects of large animal production medicine in a real-world setting.

A course called Health Management 1 was created as part of a new DVM curriculum at the Ontario Veterinary College. This full year course was designed to introduce students to basic concepts of health management, integrating the disciplines of epidemiology, ethology, and public health in the context of selected animal industries. The course was comprised of 60 lecture hours and four two-hour laboratories. A common definition of health management, incorporating five principles, was used throughout the course, in order to reinforce the concepts and to maintain continuity between lecture blocks. Unlike in the years prior to the introduction of the new curriculum, epidemiology was presented as a tool of health management rather than as a separate discipline. To supplement the lecture and laboratory material, a Web-based resource was created and the students were required to review the appropriate section prior to each lecture block. Small quizzes, consisting of 10 questions each within WebCT, were used to stimulate self-directed learning. Overall, the course was well received by the students. The Web resources combined with the WebCT quizzes proved to be an effective method of stimulating students to prepare for lecture.

A retrospective observational study was conducted to determine whether agricultural animal caseloads at veterinary teaching hospitals declined between 1995 and 1998. Thereafter, the effect of organizational and demographic factors on 1998 in-house agricultural animal caseloads was examined. Caseload data were obtained from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. Demographic and organizational data were obtained by surveys, telephone interviews, and web-based resources. Complete data were available from 25 veterinary colleges, and data from these schools were used in subsequent analyses. In 1998, in-house food animal caseload decreased relative to 1995 in 17 schools and increased relative to 1995 in 8 schools. This trend was not significant (P = .053); however, the power of the test was limited (.50). Mean 1998 caseload was 886 +/- 504. Among schools with a discipline-based organizational structure, annual mean caseload was 464 +/- 220. Among schools with a species-based organizational structure, mean caseload was 1,167 +/- 463. The regression model that best predicted caseload was a forward-stepping model that included only organizational structure as an independent variable. No additional independent variable was significantly associated with caseload.

It is important for veterinary administrators to apply knowledge bases from other fields to their own unique administrative needs. For example, although some resources are written for business managers, the discussions of four key management competency areas, guidelines for mastering these skills, organizational assessment tools, and other self-help tools may provide interesting food-for-thought for veterinary administrators.(76) In developing their own administrative styles, administrators should seek to apply those principles that seem to intuitively fit with their personal research styles, work situations, managerial styles, administrative preferences, and unique organizational culture. Through strengthening their liaisons with community and university business programs, counseling agencies, employee assistance programs, and psychology researchers, administrators can continue to be exposed to and benefit from new paradigms for consideration in veterinary medical environments. Through these liaisons, the unique needs of veterinary medical environments are also communicated to individuals within the fields of psychology and business, thus stimulating new research that specifically targets veterinary medical environment leadership issues. Each field has unique contributions to help veterinary administrators work toward creating veterinary medical environments that are creative, energetic, visionary, pragmatic, and highly marketable in order to help administrators recruit and nurture the best and brightest veterinary researchers, teachers, and clinicians.

First the history of the appointment for a full professorship is described in the various stages of development of the School of Veterinary Medicine Dresden. Then the significance of the habilitation degree introduced in 1903 is discussed in terms of the development of the School of Veterinary Medicine Dresden and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Leipzig, respectively. Commentary follows on the current discussion about the discontinuation of further development of the habilitation and possible alternatives to it, the Ph.D. and the assistant professorship.

On June 29, 2000, the Council of the School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) passed a new fundamental order. Upon termination of the current terms of office of the rector and the chancellor in September and at the end of the year 2001, respectively, a school management will be established with a longer term of office and a new type of School Council. However, the new fundamental order must still be approved by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. This change has been made necessary by radical restructuring affecting all universities in Lower Saxony: the transformation to a state enterprise with the concomitant introduction of a global budget demands full-time management. This is a step of historical significance, for this change in the fundamental order puts an end to a tradition of 87 years at the School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover under a constitutional rectorate. The following essay describes the most important changes and explains their necessity.

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) was established in 1992 as an organization among Canada's 4 veterinary colleges, with a mandate to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation in Canada. A major function of the CCWHC is nation-wide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Disease surveillance is conceived as consisting of 4 different activities: detection, diagnosis, information management, and use of information. In the CCWHC surveillance program, detection of disease is carried out by a wide range of professional and avocational field personnel, and much effort is expended to stimulate and support this activity. Diagnosis is done by personnel of provincial and federal veterinary laboratories and the CCWHC. Information management is achieved through a national database of wildlife disease incidents developed and maintained by the CCWHC. Use of information is enabled through established channels for distribution of information derived from the surveillance program to persons responsible for wildlife programs and policies, and to the public. There has been a high demand for the services of the CCWHC since its establishment. The CCWHC responds to approximately 2000 requests for information annually, distributes its newsletter to over 1700 recipients, examines approximately 1200 wild animal submissions each year, and has accumulated records of over 5000 disease incidents in its database. Technical information from the CCWHC has benefited federal, provincial/territorial, and nongovernment wildlife agencies; endangered species recovery programs; federal and provincial veterinary services; and federal and provincial public health programs.

A brief history of the development of veterinary knowledge and education in China and a short account of present-day veterinary education are presented. In dealing with the latter, information on the number and structure of schools, the undergraduate curriculum, graduate numbers and employment on graduation are considered. Information on the staffing of veterinary teaching departments, academic staff salaries and pensions is also added.