AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) -The Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine announced it has received accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), marking the transition from a developing program to a nationally recognized institution.
The accreditation means students, staff and faculty have exceeded standards set by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The achievement comes after a decade-long effort that began in November 2015.
“We had our first real meeting as a collective getting ready to launch the effort in November of 2015. So, quite literally, over the last decade, it’s been all hands on deck to make this particular day the milestone that it is,” said Dr. Tedd Mitchell, chancellor for the Texas Tech University System.
Standards and recognition
Graduates from accredited schools meet certain standards related to animal treatment, communication skills and client interaction. The accreditation represents a significant milestone for the program that many doubted would succeed.
“Today’s a day of just a huge win and it shows the success of what comes when we pull together and we pull off something that many people said you weren’t going to get done here,” said Mayor Cole Stanley, City of Amarillo.
The achievement required collaboration across the entire institution.
“Accreditation is a team effort. It took everyone, every student, every staff, every faculty member. It took everyone to achieve this. And so what it means to all of us is that we were all working in the same direction with a common goal, and we achieved something. We achieved it together,” said Guy Loneragan, dean of the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine.
“It was only a decade ago that we were being told, this is impossible. This will never happen. And, as I said to the group earlier, those folks that say something is impossible very often need to just get out of the way of the people that are actually doing it,” said Mitchell.
The school also announced two additional commendations related to practitioners the school works with and how the veterinary school measures its progress.
University officials said the accreditation is a major milestone, but they are just getting started.
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