A retired ISU professor is raising concerns about what he perceives as the “decline in stature of the quality of education at the Veterinary College.”

Mauricio Pineda, retired professor emeritus of veterinary physiology, has written a letter about the problems he claims to have seen in Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. His motivation was sparked by the faculty-issued petition that circulated in February, which called for a state Board of Regents’ review of ISU President Martin Jischke.

“I felt obligated to share my concerns about the conditions at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State,” Pineda stated in his letter.

Pineda said his primary reason for writing the letter was to improve the quality of ISU students’ education.

“My major concern is to do a good job in teaching the Vet Med students. We also need to concentrate on research that is going to provide for people of Iowa,” Pineda said in an interview with the Iowa State Daily.

Pineda sent copies of his letter to Jischke, the Government of the Student Body, the Board of Regents and the House and Senate Education Committees of the Iowa Legislature.

Owen Newlin, president of the Board of Regents, declined comment on the letter’s content at press time. He said he did not know yet if he will present the letter to the board because he needs more information.

Pineda said he became concerned shortly after Richard Ross, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, started his current position about seven years ago.

“During [Ross’] administration, the teaching of the veterinary medicine students has been subordinated to the acquisition of research money,” Pineda said.

In his letter, Pineda wrote that Vet Med receives its financing from two major sources: the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation, which can fund up to 44.5 percent of the overhead costs.

“These agencies, however, fund research aimed to solve human afflictions rather than problems which affect our domesticated animals,” Pineda said.

In his letter, Pineda also concentrated heavily on the quality of education Vet Med students are receiving.

“The emphasis on research and the reallocation of human and financial resources to that effort has adversely affected the teaching mission, which is the primary mission of the college and arguably the only reason for its existence,” Pineda stated in his letter.

Ross said he gets a lot of feedback about the educational program from both faculty members and students, and he constantly updates the curriculum to address their needs and requests.

“We are continually trying to improve our program, using a curriculum committee whose main job is to continually work to improve the curriculum,” Ross said. “We also have an Outcome Assessment Committee to help improve our faculty.”

The other major concern that Pineda addressed in the letter was the merger of two departments, Veterinary Anatomy and Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology.

“When Dean Ross took office, he decided we were not bringing in enough money between the departments of Veterinary Anatomy and Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology,” Pineda said. “He decided to merge them with the idea they would be more competitive in getting more government funding.”

In response, Ross said by researching the nervous system, Vet Med officials are finding information that will be applicable to both humans and animals.

“We have made a strong move to focus more programs in research. We have a very strong emphasis in livestock research,” he said. “Our emphasis is both based in biomedical sciences and livestock research.”