The first candidate in the search for the next dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine spoke to more than 150 students Thursday during a question-and-answer session in the Veterinary Medicine building.

Anthony Wayne Confer, associate dean of research and graduate education at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., said he has been involved in many aspects of the university. He has been a faculty member at Oklahoma State since 1981, when he served as an associate professor in veterinary pathology. Confer worked as an associate professor until 1985 when he became chairman of the veterinary pathology department and then chairman of the department of anatomy, pathology and pharmacology. He now holds an endowed chair in food animal research.

Iowa State’s reputation of producing excellent veterinarians and his own experience with the college and its faculty kept him coming back, he said.

“Iowa State is the university that Oklahoma State has always aspired to become,” he said. “And we never made it.”

The changing face of veterinary medicine calls for changes in the college’s focus, especially in the area of small animal medicine, Confer said. “Veterinary medicine is changing, and small animal medicine is where a lot of you will end up,” he said.

A concern of many veterinary students is faculty shortages in the area of small animal medicine, said E’Lise Christensen, junior in veterinary medicine.

“I thought it was refreshing to hear that he was interested in pursuing more of an emphasis in small animal medicine, which I think is sort of lacking at Iowa State,” she said.