Va.-Md. veterinary school reports increase in diversity

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is doing its best to increase diversity in the veterinary profession by bolstering diversity in its student body.

Dr. Sherrie Clark, associate professor of theriogenology at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, speaks about swine health on a farm tour with first-year veterinary students. (PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRGINIA-MARYLAND REGIONAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE)

"The number of diverse students in our community has significantly increased over the past two years," says Jacque Pelzer, DVM, director of admissions and student services, in a university release. "This is a result of a focused recruitment effort."

Since 2012 the college has seen just over a 50 percent increase in the number of minorities in its student population. This includes African-American, Asian and Latino students, as well as those who identify themselves as gay, according to the release. The college has also had successes in male student recruitment and retention.

The first DVM class graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984, and the first African-American veterinary students graduated two years later, both women. The first African-American male student graduated in 1990, according to the release.

In 2010, students at the college launched a campus chapter of the national organization Veterinary Students as One In Culture and Ethnicity, whose goal is to celebrate the cultural and ethnic diversity in the veterinary community and to promote a culture of tolerance and awareness, the release states.

Cyril R. Clarke, BVSc, MS, PhD, DACVCP, dean of the veterinary college, says, "Although our advances in this area are something we are very proud of, we cannot be complacent and must continue our focus on increasing diversity."