Tufts' Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine stands to face funding cuts from the commonwealth of Massachusetts as state officials debate next year's budget. Though it is a private school, it has always maintained a strong relationship with the state and has received supplementary funds over the years. Now, budgetary aftereffects from the recession have forced the government to reconsider its commitment to the Cummings School. The Cummings School may eventually be better off autonomous from government funding, but Massachusetts should refrain from cutting the school's funding in the short term.
The Cummings School is the only veterinary school in New England and, according to the university, one of only two private vet schools in the nation. It is a public good with obvious scarcity in our area. The government has a responsibility to ensure its continuation.
Veterinarians are not simply doctors for pets — they serve a vital social purpose. Many infectious diseases experienced by human populations originate in animals; veterinarians are our first line of defense against such diseases. They provide necessary expertise not found in other fields. If anything, their influence in the public health conversation should increase. Support for veterinarians and their education should not be shirked as legislators pore over budgets looking for things to cut.
Although state funding makes up a relatively small proportion of the school's total funding — only 5 to 10 percent — further cuts would inevitably be felt at the school if the reduction in funding is approved, diminishing its educational capacity. The Daily supports the amendment that has been submitted to Massachusetts legislators that calls for increasing funding for the school to $3 million. Its current level is roughly $2.5 million, but it is in danger of being reduced to $1 million.
The Cummings School has routinely faced difficulty obtaining state funding in the past. In 2009, it faced the threat of the near elimination of its state funding. Every time, it has — logically — put up a fight to maintain the funding it receives from Massachusetts, to little avail. According to the dean of the Cummings School, if the most recently proposed cuts are realized, state funding for Cummings will have dropped more than 70 percent since when cuts began a few years ago, outpacing cuts to Massachusetts' state university system. The trajectory is clear.
Though it would be unfair of the state legislature to unilaterally cut funding for Cummings, the school would be remiss to continue blindly fighting for government dollars. It is manifest that one year soon, Massachusetts legislators will eliminate funding altogether. With that in mind, the school should focus its efforts not on lobbying fickle legislators — as it has been doing tirelessly — but on making up for the lost revenue in other areas. Research contracts, federal research funding and philanthropic support currently make up a good amount of the school's current funding avenues that should be further drawn on to overcome the proposed cuts.
For now, the Cummings School needs state financing. The 5 to 10 percent that state funding accounts for in the school's budget is significant enough to be felt should it be eliminated. But the legislature is an unreliable source of revenue and a source of annual headaches as budgets are written. Establishing more opportunities for funding would be a much more productive pursuit for the Cummings School.
