Michigan State University - 2003 Cohort

Michigan State University (MSU), founded in 1855, is the first land-grant institution in the nation, which, under the Morrill Act, established specific goals to teach “branches of learning related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes….” MSU is located in East Lansing, MI and is unique with four health professions colleges: veterinary medicine, human medicine, osteopathic medicine and nursing. The College of Veterinary Medicine enrolls 500 students each year; 420 DVMs and 80 veterinary technicians. In addition to graduating well-rounded veterinarians, we also have dual degree options (MS, PhD, MPH) and nationally recognized post-graduate training programs. We’re one of only two schools in the USA to house a veterinary technology program, and the only university to have its pre-veterinary advising program within the college of veterinary medicine. This organization provides continual opportunities for coordination of learning and mentoring experiences between pre-veterinary, veterinary and veterinary technology students.

Over the past several years, students have had growing opportunities to enhance their communication and leadership development skills both in the classroom and through co-curricular activities. These opportunities will increase as we introduce a new curriculum in 2007. Our facilities have expanded in the past 4 years, to include a state-of-the art diagnostic center, equine neonatal intensive care unit, and a comparative oncology center. Additionally, our newly opened Learning Assessment Center (LAC) offers innovative approaches to competency-based education, featuring simulation-based educational and assessment technologies for graduate trainees and working health professionals. The LAC is building on MSU’s established reputation as an innovator in community-based medical education, problem-based learning and “evidence-based” clinical decision-making. It provides an outstanding resource for the trainees in the College to development essential non-technical competencies in veterinary medicine. The larger mission of the College of Veterinary Medicine and its training, service and research resources are in keeping with the university’s charge of ‘advancing knowledge, transforming lives’.