University of Arizona officials have told the American Veterinary Medicine Association’s Council on Education that they will appeal the council’s vote to deny a finding of reasonable assurance for the University’s proposed School of Veterinary Medicine.
Receiving a letter of “reasonable assurance” is the first step in the accreditation process. The UA will ask that the letter be awarded based on information the University already has provided to the accreditation team.
UA President Ann Weaver Hart and Vice President Shane Burgess underscored Arizona’s need for a public veterinary school and the UA’s commitment to earning accreditation.
“The UA has provided a detailed plan for a novel year-round veterinary medical education program that will provide Arizona students and their families a faster path to a DVM degree for less money and associated with a top American research university,” Hart said. “We are absolutely committed to earning AVMA accreditation.”
“We will demonstrate that we have addressed all of their concerns as communicated in the AVMA standards, and that we have the support of the Board of Regents, the agricultural community and the state Legislature to move the school forward,” said Burgess, who also serves as dean of the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and interim dean for the School of Veterinary Medicine. A national search for a permanent dean is underway.
The School of Veterinary Medicine’s plan of study, which involves students going full time year-round, would graduate qualified veterinarians more quickly and at less cost, address the veterinarian shortage in rural communities and tribal nations, and benefit bioscience businesses and promote public health.
The need for more veterinarians in Arizona is particularly acute for counties and cities outside Maricopa County, especially for large-animal practices. The tribal nations also have been short of veterinarians. Veterinarians who graduate with less debt would be better able to afford to practice in rural areas.
Students who enroll at the UA also would be more likely to remain in Arizona. Likewise, most state dollars allocated for veterinary student support, an estimated $1.5 million each year, also would stay in Arizona.
Currently, Arizona students must compete for veterinary school admissions with resident students at out-of-state institutions. For example, 1,600 applicants compete for 130 slots at Colorado State University. Arizona students attending out of state also pay higher costs through non-resident or private tuition, incur more debt, and often stay with the out-of-state veterinary practices and companies they intern with.
While the UA has had to postpone enrolling professional veterinary students into the School of Veterinary Medicine, it will launch its companion master’s degree program and a first-year undergraduate curriculum, which are the pre-professional programs from which DVM students will be selected. State funding also has allowed the University to begin renovating the School of Veterinary Medicine building in Oro Valley. The UA has contractual agreements with five private veterinary Tucson practices, the Reid Park Zoo, Hermitage Cat Shelter and Pima Animal Care Center to provide students with a diverse set of clinical opportunities.
“PACC takes in a stray animal approximately every hour and most of them require medical attention,” Burgess said. “The Reid Park Zoo also will offer preventative and medical care experiences with animals from around the world. This combination of in-house and disseminated opportunities statewide means the broadest education for least cost. It’s not the traditional vet school model and it’s not intended to be. We need a model for the 21st century and for Arizona.”