Essential Facts
Background
The College (CVMNAH) is composed of the School of Veterinary Medicine (Animal Health) and the School of Nursing & Allied Health (Human Health). This College is the only one of its kind in USA where Animal Health (Veterinary Medicine) and Human Health (Nursing & Allied Health) are interlinked and merged under one College within the framework of the One Health~ One Medicine approach.
* The Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine (TUSVM) is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
* The TUSVM is one of 28 Schools/Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the USA. But it is the only one in USA that is fully integrated serving African-Americans, Caucasian students, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans and even international students.
* The TUSVM historically was established in 1945 for the training of African Americans (AA) at a time when AA did not have other opportunities to study veterinary medicine due to segregation and other racial impediments. In 1945, the USA had only ten Schools of Veterinary Medicine. It is estimated that fewer than five AA were located in the Southern States at that time. It graduated its first class of fully qualified veterinarians in 1949. Now the nation has 28 schools of veterinary medicine and only one (TUSVM) caters to serving AA as well as others in a fully integrated manner.
* The TUSVM is the most balanced racially, ethnically and culturally among all schools of veterinary medicine. It is a unique place where true diversity shines in a school of veterinary medicine in the nation. The TUSVM has educated over 70% of the nation's AA veterinarians. It is estimated that 10% of all Hispanic veterinarians and more than 59% of all AA veterinarians who graduated during the last 5 - 7 years were educated at TUSVM.
* The TUSVM offers six academic programs including the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, two Master of Science degrees (veterinary science and tropical animal health), a dual DVM/MS degree and the PhD in Integrative Biosciences.
* The faculty are dedicated, sensitive and of high caliber in their chosen fields of veterinary medicine with most having the DVM and the terminal degree (PhD) and/or are Board certified in their disciplines. Just like the students the faculty are diverse with national and international renown. At least 75% of the basic sciences faculty hold both the DVM and PhD and nearly 60% are tenured.
TUSVM Accomplishments
The TUSVM has served a singular role in expanding diversity of the veterinary profession. Since 1985 until now, the Schools and Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the USA had about 2% of the student population being AA. For example, in 2006, there were 198 AA in the 28 Schools and Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the USA. Nearly 50% of these were at TUSVM. This roughly equates to about 4 AA students (or one AA in each class) in each of the other 27 Schools and Colleges of Veterinary Medicine while the TUSVM averaged about 27 AA students per class. Thus the TUSVM carries a disproportionate load for training AA and other disadvantaged ethnic groups including whites and Hispanics and others.
* According to the Comparative Data maintained by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), while overall minority enrollment in veterinary medicine is increasing in the 27 schools of veterinary medicine, the total enrollment of AA in the other 27 School/Colleges is actually decreasing slightly or at best has remained at the same level over the past 20 years.
* The TUSVM, as its parent institution, Tuskegee University, is a semi-private institution. The State of Alabama or the federal government does not allocate an annual budget for the operation of the School. It relies on tuition, grants, contracts and donations or support provided by individuals and selected organizations.
* Although not supported by tax or public funds like other Land Grant Institutions in USA, the TUSVM remains to be first-rate academic institution.
* The TUSVM graduates have excelled in private clinical practice, in public practice such as in the government, in the military and in corporations such as the pharmaceutical industry (e.g. at Banfield etc.).
* TUSVM graduates hold key leadership positions in government, the military, in the academy and in the international arena. For example, four TUSVM graduates currently serve as Deans or Associate Deans in the USA.
Tuskegee University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane,
Decatur, Georgia 30033, (404) 679-4500) to award baccalaureate, master's professional and doctoral degree.
www.onemedicine.tuskege.edu webmaster: akhters@tuskegee.edu
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