Open access
Research Article
1 December 2009

DiVersity Matters: A Review of the Diversity Initiative of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

Publication: Journal of Veterinary Medical Education
Volume 36, Number 4

ABSTRACT

In 2004, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges took the bold step of prioritizing diversity as a core value through the hiring of a full-time staff person. The organization then pressed forward in 2005 by launching a national plan devoted to increasing diversity in academic veterinary medicine. In the years since its inception, the DiVersity Matters initiative has overseen significant diversity changes in US colleges of veterinary medicine. Dedicated diversity programming can have a positive impact on academic veterinary medicine and the larger veterinary profession. This paper provides an overview of DiVersity Matters since its 2005 launch and how the initiative is evolving under the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' Strategic Plan.

Evolution of Programming

The Association of American Veterinary Colleges (AAVMC) began collecting various sets of data related to academic veterinary medicine in 1968. DVM student-enrollment data included gender demographics during the initial data collection. General information related to racial and ethnic student data was not included until 1974. A historical analysis of the data demonstrates both the dramatic gender shift that has occurred in veterinary medicine over the last 40 years and the modest growth among racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in veterinary medicine (URVM)a during the same time period.1 During the 1969–1970 academic year, women comprised only 11% of the total enrollment at the colleges; 10 years later, women made up nearly 36% of enrollment. Today, women comprise nearly 80% of enrolled students. Comparably, racially and ethnically URVM students comprised only 2.4% during the initial year of data collection. Today, this population makes up just less than 13% of matriculating students.
The AAVMC's Multicultural Affairs Committee was developed during this time and focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity. In 1972, the first Iverson Bell Symposium was held in an effort to increase awareness about racial and ethnic diversity in the veterinary profession. The Symposium continues, on a biennial basis, under the auspices of the AAVMC, as the oldest diversity symposium in the veterinary profession. During the 1980s, the AAVMC participated in a Pew Charitable Trust study that resulted in the publication of a report, “Future Directions for Veterinary Medicine.”2 This report concluded that projected demographic changes in the US population necessitated that academic veterinary medicine, as a body, pursue advancements in cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity. Because of significant increases in study and programming, the presence of racially and ethnically URVM students increased by 60% between 1980 and 2000; however, the resulting percentage of these students in the US enrollment of 2000 remained low at 8.4%.1
In 2004, the AAVMC hired a full-time staff member to focus efforts on specifically increasing the number of racially and ethnically URVM students in the US colleges of veterinary medicine. While the mandate originally focused nearly exclusively on race and ethnicity, the AAVMC has sought to increase awareness around issues related to gender, sexual orientation, generation difference, and other areas of difference through programming and lectures. The DiVersity Matters initiative continues to center on issues around race and ethnicity; however, the overall scope of the program has broadened during its brief four-year existence to include academic environments that promote student and faculty success and the adequate preparation of veterinary students to work in various environments with diverse populations. Increases in the presence of racially and ethnically URVM students and faculty alone are not sufficient—the overall quality of the academic environment hinges on their presence and an institutionalized commitment to all student and faculty success and their adequate preparation to work in a diverse environment.
In 2004, the US Supreme Court found that the value of a diverse academic environment mitigated the use of certain admissions criteria to be evaluated in a holistic manner. Academic institutions have been legally grappling with the need to create and increase diverse learning environments since at least 1896, when the Supreme Court established the “separate but equal” doctrine3 that remained precedent until the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case, which found that “de jure segregation” was unconstitutional.4 Certainly much of the debate around diversity programming and education has centered on moral imperatives to correct previous discrimination and the need to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources. More recently, arguments supporting academic diversity efforts speak to the imperative to meet societal needs and to produce a more representative, more productive workforce. This “business case” is often argued since the product of academia is an educated workforce and with unique insights into consumer desires. The more diverse the workforce, the more diverse the input on a wider array of consumer desires that can be fulfilled by the market. The arguments in Grutter vs. Bollinger certainly argued such positions,5 but the most compelling argument cited in the resulting decision from those cases was the enhanced value of the diverse academic learning environment. It is not simply sufficient to increase racial, ethnic, or other dimensions of diversity for moral and/or business reasons; rather, such diversity is essential to producing optimal learning environments.5
Dr. Marc Nivet, a speaker at the 2009 Iverson Bell Symposium, espoused that diversity is a driver of excellence and that there must be an area of focus for institutions to meet university missions.6 In considering the US colleges of veterinary medicine, the argument can be made that according to the accreditation standards met by the institutions and board examinations passed by new graduates, the colleges produce qualified veterinarians. Nivet's assertion that diversity drives excellence begs the following question in academic veterinary medicine: does the relative lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the US colleges of veterinary medicine compromise the quality of the resulting graduates? With more than 50% of the US colleges having a population of racially and ethnically URVM students of less than 10% and a national male student population of just over 20%, are the academic environments in which these students are matriculating diverse enough to meet the mission? Are the students equipped with enough diverse learning experiences to work successfully in diverse environments? According to population projections made by the US Census Bureau, minority populations will make up the majority of the US population by 2042.7 The dramatic demographic shifts presently occurring in the United States and the increasing globalization in business, research, and medicine would suggest that perhaps the “product” of the colleges may be compromised. Nationally, the AAVMC must play a critical role in providing leadership in academic veterinary medicine on diversity in representation and in curriculum enhancement.

DiVersity Matters

In an effort to address this emerging issue of the veterinary colleges' ability to address the changing needs of society, the AAVMC's DiVersity Matters initiative was launched during the 2005 Iverson Bell Symposium. The initiative established four key goals6:
To create a veterinary medical student applicant pool and enrollment that mirrors the US population demographic.
To foster a welcoming environment for students and faculty of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
To eliminate unnecessary, cumbersome barriers to success in academic veterinary medicine.
To promote veterinary medicine as a profession that is diverse with professional opportunities available to the diverse population it serves.
Numerous strategies are employed to pursue these goals. Increasing the number of URVM students was and remains a high priority for the association. Increasing outreach and recruiting efforts around the nation is a key activity through the initiative. Nationally, the AAVMC commits to as many as 10 national recruiting events each year. The events focus on URVM populations in broad science disciplines. The AAVMC has also encouraged its member institutions to develop a presence at these meetings, which include the national meeting for the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, and the annual conference of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. The AAVMC also provides opportunities for colleges to exhibit through the association. Additionally, in 2005, the AAVMC launched its own career fair based in Washington, DC. Annually, through the DiVersity Matters program, the AAVMC reaches nearly 10,000 URVM students.
As a part of these outreach efforts the AAVMC recognized the need to develop materials that more closely reflect populations of students targeted through the initiative. This led to the development of two brochures sponsored by Hills Pet Nutrition, Inc. The original brochure, Caring for Your Community, features veterinarians and students from historically underrepresented backgrounds and targeted messaging promoting the veterinary profession. More than 10,000 of these brochures were distributed through the colleges, mailings to minority serving institutions throughout the nation, and recruiting events. More recently, the AAVMC introduced a second expanded version of this brochure titled Become a Veterinarian and Make a Difference to Animals, to People, to the World. The new brochure was distributed to each of the US colleges in 2009 and was also distributed to more than 200 pre-veterinary and pre-health advisors at minority serving institutions of higher education throughout the United States. The association expects to distribute more than 20,000 copies of the brochure over the next two years.
The AAVMC has implemented an evaluation program to provide essential information on admissions policies and practices, campus climate, and student and faculty involvement in local diversity initiatives and curriculum development. More than 80% of the US colleges of veterinary medicine have participated in this program and 25% have made adjustments to add new staff with expertise in diversity issues and to embrace holistic student evaluations during the admissions process, and have found creative ways to support the development and retention of URVM faculty.
Since engaging in an aggressive recruiting effort, the AAVMC has seen a 4% increase in the number of racially and ethnically URVM students applying through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service since 2004.7 Enrollment of racially and ethnically URVM students has increased by 35%.1 The relative numbers of these students remain low; however, increases in both applicant and enrolled DVM student populations demonstrate that increased, targeted recruiting positively impacts the pipeline of veterinary students in the United States.
Increases in racially and ethnically URVM faculty presence remain elusive. Efforts to promote research careers in academia have not included tailored outreach and programming for URVM veterinary students comparable to what has been produced for undergraduate students. General programming is simply inadequate for the creation of a sustainable pipeline of URVM faculty. Students pursuing additional degrees and training within the US colleges typically have a comparable presence to that of the general population of DVM students. More aggressive, targeted programmatic mechanisms must be employed to recruit and retain these students within the ranks of academia.
Climate and curriculum efforts also have yet to be systematically addressed within the DiVersity Matters initiative; however, activities in these areas have been employed during the initiative's existence. Veterinary student organizations have provided substantial leadership in tackling campus climate issues. Student-led diversity-related organizations have grown dramatically, with more than half of the US colleges now having an active student organization devoted to diversity. Notably Veterinary Students as One In Culture and Ethnicity (VOICE), founded at Cornell University with collaborative support from the AAVMC, has evolved into a national organization devoted to promoting diversity and a positive climate within the US colleges of veterinary medicine. The infusion of culturally relevant material in the DVM curriculum is expected to be slow; however, co-curriculum programming on diversity issues has increased dramatically since 2005. In partnership with student and specialty practice organizations, the AAVMC has supported and/or deployed co-curricular programming at 39% of the US veterinary colleges.

Future Plans

In March 2009, the AAVMC released its Strategic Plan, which will guide the organization's work through 2014. Specific diversity goals and objectives are addressed in Goal 4: Lead efforts to increase the number of racially and/or ethnically underrepresented in veterinary medicine (URVM) individuals throughout academic veterinary medicine.
Increase the number of racially and/or ethnically URVM students by 35% over 2009 baseline in the next five years.
Increase the number of racially and/or ethnically URVM faculty by 20% over 2009 baseline in the next five years.
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.
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.8
The overall goals mimic the original goals for the DiVersity Matters initiative and maintain an organizational emphasis on racial and ethnic diversity. In pursuit of these goals, the AAVMC will continue its aggressive outreach and recruiting efforts to create a diverse applicant pool. The recruiting emphasis will be expanded to seek additional opportunities to develop a more diverse faculty pool. The organization will leverage existing programming throughout the profession to develop targeted messages and opportunities for URVM students and faculty. Studies to indentify environmental predictors of student and faculty success will shape guidance on best practices in creating and enhancing academic environments where college populations can thrive. Finally, through the Strategic Plan the AAVMC will develop learning modules on cultural competence for student and faculty use that will augment the skill set of the veterinary medical college graduate. The goal is to ensure that students and faculty are adequately prepared to work in the world around them.

Conclusion

There is much room for improvement in promoting and including diversity in academic veterinary medicine. The numbers of URVM students and faculty remain low in US colleges. Additionally there remains a need to address how the institutions create supportive and inclusive learning environments that appropriately prepare graduates to work in a diverse world. In the four years since the launch of the DiVersity Matters initiative, modest progress has been made in all areas. As the AAVMC continues working under the organization's new Strategic Plan, the increased focus on specific goals and objectives has the potential to yield greater and more positive impacts on the complexion, climate, and curriculum of academic veterinary medicine in the United States.

Footnote

a
In July 2009, the AAVMC Board of Directors defined “underrepresented in veterinary medicine” as populations of individuals whose advancement in the veterinary medical profession has historically been disproportionately impacted by six specific aspects of diversity (gender, race, ethnicity, and geographic, socioeconomic, and educational disadvantage) due to legal, cultural, or social climate impediments.

REFERENCES

1.
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges [AAVMC] (2009).Comparative Data Report. 1969–2009. Internal Reports.Washington, DC:AAVMC
2.
Pritchard, WR (1989).Future Directions for Veterinary Medicine.Durham, NC:Pew National Veterinary Education Program, Duke University121
3.
Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 US 537 (1896).
4.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 US 483 (1954).
5.
Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 US 306 (2003).
6.
Nivet, MFrom Recruiting to attracting: what we know.Presentation at the 2009 AAVMC Iverson Bell Symposium and Meeting.March 12–16, 2009Washington, DC
7.
Bernstein, R, Edwards, T (2008).An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury., Accessed 08/14/09Washington, DC:United States Census Bureauhttp://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html
8.
AAVMC (2005).DVM: DiVersity Matters, A National Initiative.Washington, DC:AAVMC
9.
AAVMC (2009).AAVMC VMCAS Data Application Cycles: 2004–2008.Washington, DC:AAVMC
10.
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (2009).Strategic Plan FY 2010–2014.Washington, DC:AAVMC

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Veterinary Medical Education
Journal of Veterinary Medical Education
Volume 36Number 4Winter 2009
Pages: 359 - 362
PubMed: 20054071

History

Published online: 1 December 2009
Published in print: Winter 2009

Key Words:

  1. diversity
  2. recruiting
  3. strategic plan

Authors

Affiliations

Lisa M. Greenhill
Biography: Lisa M. Greenhill, MPA, is the Associate Executive Director for Diversity for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, 1101 Vermont Ave., Suite 301, Washington, DC 20005 USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Her work focuses on the ongoing development and implementation of the DVM: DiVersity Matters initiative at the national and local levels, as well as promoting the veterinary medical profession within communities of color.

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