College of Veterinary Medicine Earns Full Accreditation
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) has granted Full Accreditation to the College of Veterinary Medicine for three years.
“This is an important and critical step in our College’s development, one for which we have worked hard to achieve,” said College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Dean Phillip Nelson, DVM, PhD. “Every member of the CVM family should be justifiably proud of the pioneering efforts of the faculty and staff in establishing a new model that has proven, by all outcome measures used to evaluate any veterinary college, to produce competent, practice-ready DVM graduates. It is never easy blazing new trails, and creating new models while assuring that quality standards continue to be met. The decision by the COE validates this accomplishment.”
The COE is the only recognized accrediting agency for colleges of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and Canada.
Western University of Health Sciences established the College of Veterinary Medicine on Aug. 8, 1998 and welcomed its first class in fall 2003. The College progressed from Provisional Accreditation in 2003 to Limited Accreditation to Full Accreditation.
This progression is a result of many contributors, Nelson said. Students and alumni invested their faith that the College would prepare them for the careers of their choice.
“The faculty and staff of the College have never taken their vote of confidence lightly,” he said. “Their continued performance in every category that we measure simply validates both our program, and our selection of each of them as a member of the CVM family.”
The staff and faculty have also played an irreplaceable role in CVM’s success, Nelson said.
“The faculty are the backbone of any College, and particularly provided the lion’s share of sweat equity, innovations, care, and intellect required to achieve what we intended to achieve – a quality program that focused on student learning,” he said. “I would be remiss if I did not notice the efforts of those founding faculty, led by the founding Dean Shirley Johnston, who have gone on to other ventures. We should all be reminded that we stand on the shoulders of others. My thanks to all of them, past and present, for allowing me to stand on theirs.”
Nelson also thanked the University administration, including WesternU President Philip Pumerantz, PhD, and the Board of Trustees for their vision and support for the College.
“Words cannot describe the visionary leadership demonstrated by Dr. Philip Pumerantz in deciding to establish a veterinary college on this campus,” Nelson said. “I can personally attest to the enthusiastic support we enjoy by him and his executive team. It is a pleasure to be associated with them.”
