2009-2014 Strategic Plan

Mission

To improve the health of animals and people by discovering and disseminating new knowledge and skills, educating current and future veterinarians and biomedical scientists, and providing innovative veterinary services.

Vision

The College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) serves as the critical link at the convergence of animal health, public health, and the environment. Firm boundaries do not exist between animals, humans, and the environment, and this interconnection will be an ongoing challenge as we strive to protect all species within a global system. We can’t predict all the diseases or problems of tomorrow, but we can train the best and brightest to think critically to anticipate and respond to issues that create solutions in the best interests of society. These leaders continually pave the way to healthier people, animals, and environment.

The College will select students who can succeed in a curriculum that fosters problem solving and experiential education. We will invest in research that will push our scientists to seek solutions to the multifaceted issues of the day by focusing on the College’s core scientific areas of infectious disease, populations systems, and comparative medicine. We will be of service to people, animals, and the environment by understanding the complexity of these problems while providing the best science, diagnostic tools, proactive disease surveillance, advanced therapeutic options, and research-based approaches to problems.

The College will expand its impact by capitalizing on the synergies within our organization and successfully utilizing all the resources available through collaboration within the University of Minnesota and partnerships with our key stakeholders. We will accomplish all of this through the knowledge, innovation, dedication, and compassion of our talented faculty, staff, and students.

Values

Science and knowledge.
We are first and foremost about the discovery, integration, and application of new knowledge.

Teaching and learning.
We educate undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and veterinarians by delivering the most up-to-date scientific information in effective ways, encouraging leadership, facilitating experiential learning, and using technology to enhance the learning process.

People.
We respect and support our colleagues; we are dedicated to developing skills, expertise, and diversity.

Engagement.
We proactively develop and support partnerships with individuals and organizations that share our scientific, professional, educational, and policy interests.

Accountability.
We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards; we take responsibility for our actions in all facets of our work; we strive continuously to enhance our programs and services; we measure our effectiveness; and we report on our progress.

Leadership.
We lead by influencing and contributing to science, animal welfare, food animal agriculture, the veterinary profession, animal health, and public health.

Goals

Goal 1: Discovering and disseminating new knowledge to improve health and well-being at the interface of animals, humans, and the environment

• One Medicine, One Science: Develop the concept of one health at the interface of animals, humans, and the environment
• Research Culture: Stimulate a research culture that energizes faculty leaders, develops core research facilities, and recruits, retains, trains, and rewards outstanding faculty and staff
• Signature Program in Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases: Detect new and emerging infectious diseases; investigate relationships between pathogens, their hosts, and the environment;
• and develop measures for disease prevention and control
• Signature Program in Population Systems: Promote the health of livestock, wildlife, humans, and the environment, and address the critical nodes where they intersect with one another and with the food system
• Signature Program in Comparative Medicine: Develop and study animal models of human disease in the areas of oncology, inflammatory and chronic diseases, and molecular and genetic models of disease
   

Goal 2: Preparing students, graduates, faculty, and staff for successful careers

• Provide an excellent, science-based veterinary educational program to prepare students for leadership, life-long learning, and successful careers
• Recruit and retain D.V.M. students with attributes that contribute to the success of the profession
• Promote and facilitate D.V.M. student participation in the dual degree D.V.M./M.P.H. program
• Expand learning opportunities for faculty and staff to achieve personal success and to advance the organization
• Promote an efficient infrastructure to support graduate program, faculty, student, and CVM needs in graduate education
• Advance the quality of the graduate programs to meet the needs of the student, the mentor, the CVM, the health professions, and industry
• Create and implement programs to recruit and train the next generation of clinical scholars and veterinary scientists for careers in basic, applied, and translational medicine research
• Promote research scholarship and professional development of non-degree-seeking interns, residents, and post-doctoral fellows and trainees

Goal 3: Apply core competencies to meet the needs of our external stakeholders through dynamic public engagement that advances animal and public health

• Veterinary Medical Center
  Advance animal health while supporting excellence in teaching and discovery in a state-of-the-art, sustainable, market-driven veterinary medical center
   
• Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL)
  Protect and promote animal and human health through early detection and monitoring of animal diseases
   
• Veterinary Continuing Education (VCE)
  Advance the Collegiate mission through veterinary continuing education
   
• Center for Animal Health and Food Safety/Global Initiative for Food Systems
  Anticipate and develop solutions and strategies to manage emerging issues in animals and food systems that impact public health
   
• The Raptor Center
  Ensure the health of raptors and the world we share through teaching, research, and service
   
• National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD)
  Defend the safety of the food system through research and education
   
• Clinical Investigation Center (CIC)
  Facilitate veterinary clinical and translational research to benefit animals and humans alike