AVMA Council on Education earns nod from national watchdog group

Schaumburg, Ill. — The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recently gave a positive review to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE).

The COE has been accrediting U.S. veterinary schools for decades; it currently accredits 28 U.S. veterinary schools and 17 foreign schools.

Dr. David Granstrom, director of the AVMA Education and Research Division, says the third-party review by CHEA included a site visit to the COE offices. "This was a very thorough, completely independent third-party review," Granstrom says. "The CHEA recognition process is transparent and specifically designed to assure the public and the profession that the accrediting agency—in this case the COE—has effective policies and procedures and actually follows them. The COE submits to CHEA recognition voluntarily."

The CHEA, whose recognition process takes a full year, concluded that "the COE is in full compliance with all criteria" and recommended that it be recognized for up to 10 years, the maximum length of recognition.

The CHEA is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that grants formal recognition to accreditation bodies for higher education. The AVMA's COE has earned CHEA recognition continuously for more than 50 years, the AVMA adds.