Texas A&M CVM Earns Second HEED Award For Commitment To Diversity
For the second consecutive year, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) has been selected for the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
The CVM was one of 35 U.S. medical, dental, pharmacy, osteopathic, nursing, veterinary, allied health, and other health schools and centers to receive the national honor, which recognizes those that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The CVM will be featured, along with 34 other recipients, in the December 2018 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
This CVM is committed to make the college a welcoming, thriving, and inclusive place for all; the college is one of the only veterinary colleges in America to dedicate an associate dean to diversity for the college.
The college also offers inclusive climate trainings for mediation certification, suicide prevention, difficult dialogues, speaking out against injustice, and becoming an Aggie Ally.
“Winning this award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine for the second year in a row is an incredible honor for our college,” said Dr. Eleanor Green, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. “Our dedicated focus on working and learning in inclusive environments is paramount to the success of our faculty, staff, administrators, and students.
“We work together to recruit a diverse student body, faculty, and staff, and we celebrate the contributions of every member of our college toward this effort,” she said. “This work will make our entire college community better prepared to live in our ever-changing world.”
Recruitment and retention of outstanding underrepresented minority (URM) students can be seen in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program and in undergraduate and graduate programs through the development of memorandum of agreements (MOAs) with colleges and universities across the state. These programs are designed to promote inclusion, diversity, and access.
The CVM also has strong student and college organizations dedicated to supporting a welcoming learning environment. These include the Council on Diversity and Professionalism (CDP), a committee that includes undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff, as well as a group of elected representatives from each veterinary class that works to promote an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment in the college; VOICE (Veterinary Students One in Culture and Ethnicity), a student-run organization that addresses socio-cultural awareness among veterinary students, faculty, and staff; and Broad Spectrum, which works to connect, support, and empower LGBTQ+ veterinary students and allies.
Only two other colleges of veterinary medicine across the country were selected for a HEED award—The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
“The Health Professions HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees—and best practices for both; continued leadership support for diversity; and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across their campus.”
For more information about the 2017 Health Professions HEED Award, visit www.insightintodiversity.com.
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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact Information: Megan Palsa, Executive Director of Communications, Media & Public Relations, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science; mpalsa@cvm.tamu.edu; 979-862-4216; 979-421-3121 (cell)
