Formerly ranked as the No. 1 veterinary school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 1997, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine was not ranked at all in the magazine's recently released Best Graduate Schools publication. Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine was ranked first among the nation's 27 veterinary schools, followed by the veterinary schools at Colorado State University and University of Pennsylvania in second and third place, respectively, of a list of 11 The UC Davis veterinary school was not included in the ranking this year because it was placed on limited accreditation for inadequate facilities in 1998, according to the magazine. The school is in the process of renovating existing facilities and planning for new buildings. "It's rather ironic that the U.S. News and World Report rankings are based solely on the quality of curriculum, faculty and graduates-criteria in which we exceed American Veterinary Medical Association standards," said Bennie Osburn, dean of the UC Davis veterinary school. "Our faculty and students continue to teach, learn and provide animal patient care at the highest level, however, we find that our current 50-year-old facilities are not considered adequate for modern biomedical teaching and research." "The school's administration and faculty are highly committed to the education of our students-future veterinarians," Osburn added. "But our limited accreditation status has clearly impacted our reputation and ability to successfully compete on the national level."