Regional Consortium of Veterinary Schools to Collaborate on Professional Priorities

January 17, 2012

Five prominent colleges of veterinary medicine convened in October to create the Consortium of Western Regional Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, a collaboration designed for the  advancement of initiatives pivotal to the development of the veterinary profession. Veterinary deans from Colorado State University, Oregon State University, Western University of Health Sciences, Washington State University and University of California, Davis, met in San Francisco in October to hammer out plans for the regional think tank. 

Current Issues in veterinary education include:

• How to narrow existing gaps between selected veterinary career tracks and societal needs
• Targeted recruitment of veterinary students
• Professional readiness among graduating veterinarians
• Learning and applying non-technical skills in veterinary school to keep veterinarians at the center of health care
• Identification and development of ways for individual veterinary colleges to share resources and create Centers of Excellence for specialized veterinary training
• Strong, ongoing faculty development to promote rich and innovative learning environments
  

To ensure that actions are put in place to address these priorities, the five Colleges of Veterinary Medicine located in the Western US have expressed their shared commitment to action.

“The first meeting of the Consortium of Western Regional Colleges of Veterinary Medicine was tremendously productive. We explored  the concept behind the group and identified areas of potential collaboration that align closely with strategic priorities of the veterinary profession. We establishe short- and long-term goals with a focus on educating better prepared graduates, developing faculty expertise, and modeling collaboration,” said Dean Michael Lairmore, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.  “We are fully committed to continued engagement with other members of the consortium to secure a strong, relevant future for our profession.”

During the inaugural meeting of the Consortium of Western Regional Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, the deans developed a rubric for collaboration, which will be used to develop and implement shared strategies. Unanimous agreement was reached to begin work immediately on a regional teaching academy for faculty development . 

Media contact:

Lynn Narlesky, Communications Representative, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, lnarlesky@ucdavis.edu