History

The AAVMC commissioned a communications audit report in the winter of 2005/2006. PR Solutions, Inc of Washington , DC was selected to conduct the audit. A preliminary report was delivered to the AAVMC in March and a progress report was presented to the AAVMC Board of Directors at the March 06 AAVMC Annual Meeting. PR Solutions, Inc delivered the final communications audit to the AAVMC in May 2006. The audit was widely distributed to AAVMC members and other interested parties.

 

Purpose

The purpose of the audit is to explore the organization's potential to develop a media presence and public image, to increase awareness of the organization among faculty, staff and students at veterinary medical schools and veterinary medical departments, to help refine and enhance the organization's message and materials, and to recommend revisions to internal systems that will facilitate the implementation of the audit. The audit provides information and ideas that will help AAVMC conceptualize and implement its media outreach, both over the short- and long-terms.

 

What is a Communications Audit?

A communications audit verifies good practices, identifies opportunities and obstacles, and where necessary, points out the need to consider altering systems, priorities and policies. The audit is a series of recommendations and suggestions that need to be refined and recast over time as external events and internal developments demand. It is a "menu" of ideas from which changes can be drawn. This report will not restate the findings in the audit. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the final AAVMC communications audit may contact the AAVMC office.

 

AAVMC Mission and Communications Principles

AAVMC communications are guided by the mission of the Association. All communications activities should be supported by the AAVMC mission statement.

 

AAVMC Mission Statement

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) fosters the teaching, research and outreach activities of our members, both nationally and internationally.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people and animals by advancing veterinary medical education, improving animal health and welfare, strengthening biomedical research, promoting food safety and security, and enhancing environmental quality.

AAVMC Communications Principles

AAVMC supports and advocates for a culture and environment that includes communications principles for all events, issues, and publications. As AAVMC staff members and AAVMC volunteer members plan, develop, and implement programs, four principles are reviewed and, where appropriate, included in the event planning and execution. These principles are:

•  The AAVMC operates in a culture of inclusiveness in all its issues and programs

•  The AAVMC is a preferred source of veterinary medicine education information for its members, veterinary students, stakeholders, and the public

•  The AAVMC offers opportunities for individuals, organizations, and industry to support the Association's core issues and programs

•  The AAVMC proactively markets and communicates the Association's core issues and programs

 

Core AAVMC Issues

The AAVMC works on many important veterinary medical education issues and responds to the needs of its member institutions. However, the Association capitalizes on its strengths, expertise, and the public's interest in veterinary medical education and exhibits leadership by:

• Advocating for the veterinary medical colleges to build capacity and graduate more veterinarians to join the workforce, especially in clinical practice for underserved rural and inner cities, and public practice for public health, research, biodefense, food safety, and zoonotic diseases
• Building an educational workforce and culture that supports the recruitment, enrollment, matriculation, and faculty development of a wider range of ethnic and racial minorities
• Recruiting a veterinary medicine college applicant pool that reflects the face of society and meets the needs of the public and the employment sectors
• Providing to the AAVMC member institutions information, background material, and researched selection processes to identify veterinary medical college applicants with interpersonal, communication, business management, self management, leadership, and thinking competencies for personal fulfillment, balanced goals, growth, helping others, gaining respect and financial success in veterinary medicine

 

Specific AAVMC Communications Implementations since March 2006

• Held one-on-one discussions between the AAVMC Director of Communications and all AAVMC staff to obtain input, ideas, needs, and suggestions concerning AAVMC communications and future communications plans
• Discussion among staff for the need to work on issues as they relate to the AAVMC mission and in a culture of how communications can help advance programs and issues
• Contacted all AAVMC member institutions and updated the AAVMC communications contact list
• Communicated several times with member institutions and their communications and public relations representatives concerning items of interest
• Held a preliminary meetings with representatives of the National Association of Federal Veterinarians and the Humane Society of the United States-future plans to exchange ideas, programs, etc and see what issues we can work on cooperatively
• Presented Senator Wayne Allard, DVM with an appreciation award for his foresight and leadership in sponsoring Senate Bill 914, the Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act
• Met with a national representative of the FFA to foster communications and seek out opportunities to recruit veterinary college applicants with food animal and rural community interests
• Issued six AAVMC press releases
• Issued one AAVMC media advisory
• Added an AAVMC contact list of all state veterinary medical associations
• Made substantial, but subtle, improvements in the quality and quantity of the AAVMC newsletter and greatly widened its distribution
• Updated content on the AAVMC web site
• Established in-house deadline of having announcements of meetings, seminar, symposia etc, posted 6 months prior to the event on the AAVMC web site utilizing "Save the Date" notices, on-line registrations, etc.
• Invited veterinary medicine students to AAVMC functions, symposia, meetings, etc
• Submitted a letter to the editor of the Washington Post concerning AAVMC's core issue of advocating for the veterinary medical colleges to build capacity and graduate more veterinarians to join the workforce, especially in the areas of public health, public practice, research, biodefense, food safety, and zoonotic diseases
• Submitted a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) in response to a letter in the July 1, 2006 JAVMA concerning comparative medicine and the need for more veterinarians to become active in public policy making and the political process

 

Most of the above items are on an ongoing basis. Some of them will continuously be a part of the AAVMC culture and others will be implemented on an appropriate and as needed basis.

 

AAVMC Additional Communications Activities for Fiscal Year 2007

• Establish an active AAVMC communications advisory group

• Design and develop a new AAVMC logo that embraces the mission of the Association and the Association's communications principles
• Design and develop an AAVMC multi-audience brochure as a tool to introduce the Association. This would include the history of the Association, mission, core issues, and an opportunity to support the Association, etc
• Design and develop an AAVMC capital campaign booklet. First class product that showcases the AAVMC and its programs. Provides an inviting opportunity for individuals, organizations, and industry to financially support the AAVMC mission and programs
• Conduct a thorough review of the AAVMC web site and all copy. Obtain suggestions for changes; possibly add new sections, research new colors, layout, and typefaces to make the web site more user friendly
• Participate in three national meetings/conventions to increase the visibility of the AAVMC, promote the mission of the Association, and advocate for the AAVMC core issues
• Meet with the Association of Advancement Professionals to dialogue on how the two organizations can work cooperatively on common issues

 

Harry Michael Chaddock, DVM

Director of Communications

Questions about the Communications Plan can be directed to H. Michael Chaddock, AAVMC Director of Communications.  He can be reached at (202) 371-9195 x14, or via email at mchaddock@aavmc.org.