Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
STRATEGIC PLAN
(FY2010 – 2014)
INTRODUCTION
The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is a non-profit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine. The Association was founded in 1966 by the deans of the then existing 18 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and three in Canada. During the 1970s and 1980s, AAVMC's membership expanded to include departments of veterinary science in colleges of agriculture, and in the 1990s to include divisions or departments of comparative medicine.
Today, AAVMC provides leadership for the academic veterinary medical community, including in the United States, all 28 colleges of veterinary medicine, nine departments of veterinary science, nine departments of comparative medicine, three other veterinary medical educational institutions, and internationally, all five veterinary medical colleges in Canada, eight international colleges of veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and four affiliate colleges of veterinary medicine.
In early 2008, AAVMC launched a strategic planning effort designed to establish the vision, mission, goals, and objectives that will guide the Association over the next five years. Moreover, with new and ever evolving information technology, rapid travel and movement of people and animals, and the interconnectedness of countries across continents, it was envisaged that the plan will advance academic veterinary medicine to better prepare its member institutions and partners to meet increasingly global societal needs.
The AAVMC is pleased to present its strategic plan on the following pages. The plan’s strategic goals and objectives are broadly written to be inclusive of the many varied and diverse societal needs that veterinarians are uniquely educated and qualified to fulfill. This allows for the development and implementation of; but not limited to, academic, public and private practice, public health and food safety, animal care and welfare, research, national security, and international objectives for the benefit of society.
How the Plan was Developed
A Strategic Planning Steering Committee was formed to lead the planning effort. The members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee were identified and selected by the AAVMC Board of Directors to reflect the breadth of the profession and included representation from North American, European, and Australasian veterinary medical colleges, departments of veterinary science, departments of comparative medicine, other veterinary medical education institutions, AAVMC staff, and industry.
The process began with a review by the Steering Committee of lessons learned and recommendations made by the Foresight Report: Envisioning the Future of Veterinary Medical Education. Acting on values of transparency and inclusiveness, the AAVMC strategic planning process then solicited input from the Association’s key stakeholders within and outside of academic veterinary medicine. The data collection effort, led by the AAVMC Strategic Planning Steering Committee and AAVMC staff, included key informant interviews with over 60 internal and external stakeholders, six focus groups of attendees at the March 2008 Annual Session, and additional focus groups with students and faculty at two colleges of veterinary medicine. In addition, an "all-stakeholder” electronic survey was conducted to obtain input from the veterinary academic and practicing communities at large. The input from all these groups was incorporated into the plan.
How the Plan will be Used
The AAVMC Board of Directors and staff will use the Strategic Plan to guide decision making relevant to maintaining focus on the Association’s goals and objectives, establish clear priorities, align the allocation of AAVMC’s resources, and assess progress over time. AAVMC can only achieve its stated vision, mission and goals outlined on the pages that follow with the involvement and participation of, and collaboration with its partners, stakeholders, and the entire veterinary medical profession, domestically and globally. AAVMC looks forward to working with its partners and collaborators in undertaking and achieving the vision, mission, goals and objectives described in the following pages.
VISION STATEMENT
To promote and protect the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment by generating new knowledge and preparing the high quality veterinary workforce needed to meet continually changing societal demands for veterinary expertise.
MISSION STATEMENT
AAVMC provides leadership for and promotes excellence in academic veterinary medicine to prepare the veterinary workforce with the scientific knowledge and skills required to meet societal needs through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.
AAVMC pursues its mission by providing leadership in:
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Advocating on behalf of academic veterinary medicine;
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Serving as a catalyst and convener on issues of importance to academic veterinary medicine;
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Providing information, knowledge and solutions to support members’ work;
- Facilitating enrollment in veterinary medical schools and colleges; and
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Building global partnerships and coalitions to advance our collective goals.
VALUES STATEMENT
AAVMC’s vision, mission and goals are driven by the Association’s values. These values guide both the work the association undertakes – and the way in which AAVMC undertakes its work.
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Leadership: |
We serve as a trusted leader to the academic veterinary medical community and invest in the development of new leaders for the future of our profession, our members, our communities and our society. |
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Excellence: |
We promote the highest standards in academic veterinary medicine. |
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Inclusion: |
We promote a veterinary profession that reflects the diversity of the profession and the populations that veterinary medicine serves, as a core requirement in meeting societal needs. |
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Collaboration: |
We advance our mission in partnership with others within and outside of academic veterinary medicine. |
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Transparency: |
We strive for open and honest communications in dealings among members, and with partners, staff and other stakeholders. |
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Adaptability: |
We are flexible and responsive in assuring that academic veterinary medicine is meeting the needs of society. |
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Stewardship: |
We maintain the highest standards of accountability through responsible management practices. |
STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
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Lead efforts to review, evaluate and improve veterinary medical education in order to, prepare graduates with the competencies needed to address societal needs.
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Develop a plan to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of veterinary medical education to meet societal needs. (Timeline: 2011)
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Identify, document and promote best practices and effective models for clinical programs. (Timeline: 2012)
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Advocate for additional resources to increase national veterinary medical class size in order to produce more graduate veterinarians, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents. (Timeline: 2014)
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Collaborate with members of other health professions on interdisciplinary efforts of common interest consistent with a one health philosophy. (Timeline: ongoing)
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Lead efforts to increase the amount of veterinary research conducted and the number of graduates entering research careers.
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Advocate for a 25% increase in public and private investment in research in veterinary sciences of importance to animal and human health over the next five years. (Timeline: 2014)
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Facilitate the development of AAVMC fellowships or sabbatical opportunities for faculty at leading academic, public and corporate research institutions. (Timeline: 2014)
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Establish at least three AAVMC research externships for veterinary medical students in leading academic, public and corporate research institutions. (Timeline: 2013)
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Host regularly scheduled events for research deans and key faculty to enhance their ability to obtain federal and foundation resources. (Timeline: ongoing)
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Lead efforts to recruit a student body aligned with the demands for veterinary expertise.
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Develop and launch a national recruitment plan with goals, objectives, and activities based on the “National Recruitment Promotion Plan” report. (Timeline: 2013)
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Conduct an annual analysis of the veterinary medical applicant pool and veterinary medical graduates to project areas of need within the profession in order to support recruitment efforts by professional and postdoctoral programs. (Timeline: 2013)
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Lead efforts and advocate to (1) align the pre-veterinary requirements among member institutions to facilitate successful application to U.S. colleges of veterinary medicine, (2) develop recruitment expertise of member institutions, and (3) validate the degree to which current admission processes are able to impact the non-technical skills, knowledge, and attitudes profile of admitted students while maintaining a solid foundation in technical capabilities. (Timeline: 2014)
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Identify, document and advocate for best practices that would increase the affordability of veterinary medical education in order to reduce this barrier to entry into the profession and specialty areas. (Timeline: 2014)
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Lead efforts to increase the number of racially and/or ethnically underrepresented in veterinary medicine (URVM) individuals throughout academic veterinary medicine.
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Increase the number of racially and/or ethnically URVM students by 35% over 2009 baseline in the next five years. (Timeline: 2014)
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Increase the number of racially and/or ethnically URVM faculty by 20% over 2009 baseline in the next five years. (Timeline: 2014)
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Identify, document and disseminate best practices for creating and sustaining an academic environment within member institutions that promotes and ensures the success of URVM students and faculty. (Timeline: 2013)
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Develop, test, and provide a cultural competency curricular module for use by AAVMC member institutions to prepare veterinary students to work in diverse environments in order to meet societal needs. (Timeline: 2013)
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Design and implement an AAVMC leadership development program to include a continuum of offerings for veterinary students, faculty and administrators. (Timeline: 2013)
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Design and implement faculty development programming to support and advance successful programs of scholarship, research, community outreach, and teaching within member institutions. (Timeline: 2012)
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Establish and administer at least three AAVMC externship opportunities per year focusing on policy and leadership for veterinary medical students. (Timeline: 2011)
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Develop a legislative and/or executive branch science fellowship program for AAVMC member institution faculty members. (Timeline: 2014)
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Establish and administer sabbatical opportunities for faculty at AAVMC member institutions at government agencies, non-profit organizations, or corporations. (Timeline: 2013)
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Strengthen AAVMC’s capacity to better serve its members, partners, and other stakeholders, in advancing the AAVMC mission.
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Position AAVMC as the leading voice of the academic veterinary medicine community and increase understanding of the Association’s mission and goals with key stakeholder groups. (Timeline: ongoing)
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Increase AAVMC’s revenue 30% over the next five years in order to generate the resources needed to advance the mission and goals of the Association and to build the capacity of the organization. (Timeline: 2014)
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Increase AAVMC capability to serve as an electronic information clearinghouse on opportunities and programs of high priority to its members, partners, and other stakeholders. (Timeline: 2014).
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Conduct an assessment of faculty needs at member institutions to determine what programs and services the Association could provide for them and develop specific recommendations for increasing faculty engagement in the work of the AAVMC. (Timeline: 2010)
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Develop a plan that addresses the composition, size and benefits of AAVMC membership categories. (Timeline: 2010)
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Develop and implement a plan for the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education that addresses its purpose and geographic scope, increases readership, ensures highest quality of published manuscripts, and is financially self-sustaining. (Timeline: 2012)
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Conduct a review of AAVMC’s human resource policies, practices and internal organizational culture and prepare recommendations to position the Association as an employer of choice. (Timeline: 2010).
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Complete a review of the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) to (1) determine the most effective approach to operating this service and (2) to identify opportunities to add value for our member institutions and applicants. (Timeline: 2011)
IMPLEMENTATION
In an era of globalization, and increasingly appreciated and highly valued roles and responsibilities of veterinary medicine in meeting societal needs, this is an exciting time for the profession and for academic veterinary medicine. There are many new opportunities to act on in achieving our stated vision, mission, goals and objectives. The plan is admittedly ambitious, and reflects the enthusiasm, commitment and dedication of AAVMC members and staff in assuring that academic veterinary medicine is well positioned to meet societal needs now and into the future. AAVMC looks forward to developing an implementation plan and budget that over the next five years will assure success in achieving the priority goals and objectives described in the preceding pages.
It is important to note that the strategic plan was finalized during a time of rapidly changing and heightened uncertainty in the U.S. and global economies. It was impossible to predict what the future will bring at the time that the plan was finalized. Nonetheless, the feasibility of our objectives is dependent on the status of the economic health of our member institutions, partners, and national economy. Therefore, AAVMC will review the feasibility of our objectives on an annual basis, and pending successes and timeliness of our national economic recovery, will revise the scope and timeline for our objectives accordingly.
APPENDIX ONE:
MEMBERSHIP OF THE AAVMC STRATEGIC PLANNING STEERING COMMITTEE
Tim Boosinger, Auburn University
Paige Carmichael, University of Georgia
Mike Chaddock, AAVMC
Cary Christensen, Bayer Animal Health
Barbara Coats, Mississippi State University
Lesley Colby, University of Michigan
Jeffrey Douglas, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
James Fox, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Carmen Fuentealba, University of Calgary
Tsegaye Habtemariam, Tuskegee University
Ken Hinchcliff, University of Melbourne
Jeffrey Klausner, The Animal Medical Center
Jim Lloyd, Michigan State University
Mike Lorenz, Oklahoma State University
Bennie Osburn, University of California, Davis
Marguerite Pappaioanou, AAVMC
Stuart Reid, University of Glasgow
John Roane, AAVMC
Jean Sirois, Université de Montréal
Gary Vroegindewey, U.S. Army Veterinary Service
APPENDIX TWO:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AAVMC extends special thanks to Bayer Animal Health, for their generous financial support that made the development of this strategic plan possible. In particular, we wish to thank Mr. Joerg Ohle, President and General Manager, Bayer Corporation Animal Health Division, North America; and Dr. Cary Christensen, Senior Director, Food Animal Products Business Unit, Bayer Animal Health, for their partnership in, and commitment and dedicated support to advancing excellence in academic veterinary medicine.
AAVMC also acknowledges the leadership, participation and contributions by AAVMC members, partners and stakeholders in the development of this plan, and in particular, thank the following individuals and partners:
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The AAVMC Board of Directors, 2006-2008, for its vision in launching the development of the Strategic Plan
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The vision of AAVMC leaders in the planning, conduct, and reporting of The Foresight Report: Envision the Future of Veterinary Medical Education, including but not limited to Drs. Keith W. Prasse, Bennie Osburn, Lance Perryman, Joe Kornegay, Lawrence Heider, and Norman Willis
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The AAVMC Strategic Planning Steering Committee (Appendix 1)
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All AAVMC partners and stakeholders participating in key-informant interviews during January and February, 2008
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All AAVMC members participating in the four focus groups held at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
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All AAVMC members who responded to the electronic survey, and who have provided input to the plan by telephone, on-line, by e-mail, or in writing
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The leadership, administration, faculty and staff of Tuskegee College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health; the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, for the hosting of site visits and participation in focus groups during the summer, 2008
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AAVMC staff
This plan was developed by AAVMC, in consultation with Mr. Joshua Mintz of the firm of Cavanaugh, Hagan, Pierson & Mintz, Washington D.C.