New veterinary school to open in Antigua with Virginia Tech partnership

Antigua, West Indies

-- American University of Antigua, a 5-year-old human medical college, announced this week that it will open a new veterinary college in January with an exclusive partnership with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine for clinical training.

“The big advantage I saw was, if we are going to have transfer students, we should do it with someone where we could influence the curriculum right from the beginning,” says Virginia Tech Dean Dr. Gerhardt G. Schurig.

American University is modeling its curriculum directly after Virginia Tech’s, and its students will complete their third- and fourth-year clinical studies there, after completing classroom and laboratory work in Antigua and after passing a qualifying exam.

Transfer students also will complete an additional semester once they transfer to Virginia Tech, meaning they will graduate with more training than resident students at the college, says Schurig. This is to ensure there are no “holes” in their education, he adds. In return, students will graduate with their veterinary degree from Virginia Tech, not American University.

The new veterinary college will begin its first class in January 2010, with Dr. Segun Dipeolu serving as dean, says Vito Barbiera, American University’s marketing director. Anticipated class size is about 30 students.

Read more about the new program and the partnership with Virginia Tech, including a full interview with Schurig, in the October issue of DVM Newsmagazine.