AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been granted full accreditation status by the Council On Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The accreditation covers the complete academic program including the addition of a new professional program in veterinary medical education being offered with the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL). The accreditation was awarded following an evaluation completed in 2006 that included programs and facilities at Iowa State and UNL.
The college was placed on "limited" accreditation status following a 2003 site visit and 2004 evaluation report that cited needs for upgrading the veterinary teaching hospital and animal isolation facilities. Since then, the college has undertaken intermediate steps to address those needs and has begun a two-phase construction and renovation project of the teaching hospital. Phase One is a new food animal and equine hospital scheduled for completion in August 2008. Phase Two includes renovation and expansion of the small animal hospital with completion anticipated in late 2010.
"Earning full accreditation is truly a major step in our efforts to continually improve the quality of the college, the education we provide, the facilities we have, and to make Iowa State a leading center in veterinary medicine," said Dr. John U. Thomson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State. "The progress we have made reflects the support provided by the legislature, university administration and constituents who understand the important role this college plays in meeting society's needs for the veterinary medical profession, and endorse our plan for the future."
During the past two years, Iowa State and UNL have developed a new professional program that is covered by the full accreditation status. This program includes 25 Nebraska students per year who will receive their first two years of veterinary medical education at UNL and complete their DVM education at Iowa State. The first group of students will enter the program in August.
"Receiving recognition from the AVMA Council on Education for this innovative approach to regional veterinary medical education speaks well of the region's leading land grant institutions. It represents the degree of progress made at both institutions in a relatively short time," said Dr. David K. Hardin, associate dean, Cooperative Program in Veterinary Medical Education at UNL. "We look forward to continued progress in making this unique program an outstanding example of cooperation in veterinary medical education."
The program will be reviewed again in 2010 as part of the regular Council On Education reaccreditation cycle.