I have never cared for the phrase: “We are the #1 veterinary school in the United States.” Not because excellence should not be celebrated, but because I am not entirely sure what, precisely, is being celebrated. What does #1 veterinary school actually mean? And perhaps more importantly, what does it do for a profession that prides itself on care, diversity of practice, and service? What Are We Really Measuring? Most veterinary school rankings are built less on objective outc
Force #5: Counting what’s easy instead of what matters. A few years ago, after giving what I thought was a particularly good lecture - the kind where the room leans forward, where the questions keep coming, where you can almost feel understanding settle into place - I walked back to my office feeling quietly satisfied. Not proud. Just content. It had felt like teaching. Real teaching. Later that week, my annual review arrived. Pages of numbers. Clinical productivity. Relative
