The mission of the Department of Animal Sciences . is to discover and communicate knowledge about animals and their products. The delivery of this mission is directed to the students of The Ohio State University (OSU), the citizens of Ohio and other parts of the world, the scientific community, stakeholders in the Department, and others who are interested in animals used for food production, fiber, recreation, and companion purposes. Issues facing food animal agriculture today demand that this Department concentrate on this mission and deliver cutting-edge, sciencebased information in order to best serve the needs of society.
In the past year, the Department of Animal Sciences has undergone a visioning process in an effort to more closely align the Department with the needs of its clients, both students and industry. The initiation of the process coincided with Project Reinvent in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. As a result of this process, the Department of Animal Sciences developed a holistic vision leading to a strategic plan that will be used as a template for making hiring and facility development decisions within the Department of Animal Sciences for the next 10 years. This strategic plan shapes the teaching, research, and outreach activities of the Department and establishes a common premise for all departmental faculty and students, namely that the understanding of life processes of our animals and their integration into farming methods and societal needs is fundamental to the endeavors of this Department. Integration is emerging as a common attribute of most disciplines and will consequently spread into and impact activities by bringing multiple-discipline views to species-related issues or problems. The traditional focus of the Department on food animal species will continue; however, we plan to augment this focus to include recreational/companion animals and an animal health and welfare perspective. In addition, we have developed research initiatives in the area of microbial ecology, with emphasis on waste stream management and evaluation of the development of antibiotic resistance as a result of the use of antibiotics in food animal production. In the past year, we have experienced a resux ence of meat science focus within the Department, and we anticipate that this will continue.
While we have seen a maintenance in or renewal of traditional strengths in the Department of Animal Sciences, we have also seen notable changes as well. The Department has experienced a dramatic increase in the amount of competitive federal funding within the last year and continues a strong record in gaining industry and private funding. We have several new faculty and staff members who are contributing to the strength of the Department and adding their unique blend of talents to the mixture. Undergraduate education continues to be a primary mission of the Department of Animal Sciences; we are undergoing curriculum revision and advising changes to meet the needs of our students and better prepare them for their future in the food animal industry. The faculty members of this Department will be committing themselves to meeting the challenges facing agriculture proactively in multi-discipline, multi-department, and multi-university collaborative efforts to serve the needs of agriculture and society in the most effective means possible.
I have enjoyed working with the faculty members, staff, and students in the Department of Animal Sciences in the past year. As I stated in the 1999 Research and Reviews, my focus will continue to be on the faculty and staff members of this Department. To meet the needs of our students, those involved in food animal agriculture and the allied industries, our stakeholders, and society as a whole, we will need to function in an efficient and effective manner. A continued focus is on leading the Animal Sciences Building Initiative to develop state-of-the-art building and livestock facilities that will allow the personnel within the Department to function to their full potential. I look forward to continued partnership with the citizens of the State of Ohio in our educational and building initiatives.
Sincerely,
James E. Kinder
Professor and Chair