Strategic Plan

Moving Forward Inclusively

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine takes pride in the progress made by teams of faculty, staff, and students as a result of our Strategic Plan for 2015–2020, while we also look towards the future. As we chart our course, we continue the team-oriented approach that has proved so vital in developing our vision for continuous improvement while upholding our core values.

The 2015–2020 strategic plan relied on the work of a number of focus area teams that developed the various plan components. As we reviewed the results of that plan, members of each of those teams reflected on accomplishments and developed new strategic goals for the next three years of growth and development within the broad strategic themes of education, discovery, and engagement. That approach led to the development and adoption of a refreshed strategic plan covering the period of 2021–2023.

Download the 2021–2023 Strategic Plan (PDF)

About the Strategic Plan

At the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, strategic planning is a way of life. Over the past ten years, we have developed and carried out two five-year strategic plans that have led to a number of significant accomplishments. With the second of those plans ending in 2020, faculty and staff worked diligently to review the document, take stock of the progress achieved, and revise and update remaining action items in a refreshed strategic plan that will run through 2023.

Interestingly, as we were completing the process, we found ourselves in the midst of unprecedented changes brought on by a global pandemic. The amount and pace of change related to the pandemic has been remarkable, and no strategic plan could have anticipated these sudden developments. However, the strategic plan we adopted five years earlier put us in a position of strength, which ensured that we were prepared to respond to these challenges. As we launch our refreshed plan, we are moving into a new normal. Yet, our vision and mission will remain the same, and our strategic planning will guide us as we make adjustments and adaptations with confidence that we are continuing to move in the right direction.

It is important to note that the plan incorporates our fundamental values that help stabilize us and keep us on course. Paramount among those values is our commitment to diversity and inclusion. The heightened emphasis on equality and justice in our country attests to the importance of the diversity, equity and inclusion programs we began to put in place as a college over a decade ago to bring about much needed growth within our College and in the veterinary medical profession. Commensurate with our effort to refresh our College’s strategic plan, we have launched a new diversity, equity and inclusion strategic plan that will build on our accomplishments and propel us forward in our efforts to bring about a more diverse, welcoming and inclusive learning and working environment for our students, faculty and staff.

This summary of our 2021-2023 Strategic Plan presents the high points, organized around our strategic themes of discovery, learning and engagement, as well as five focus areas that correlate to the particular strengths of our College. We look forward to the future with boldness as we work together toward a better world for both animals and people, confident that, whatever challenges lie ahead, we will persevere with the persistent pursuit of excellence that characterizes Boilermakers everywhere.

Mission

The mission of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine is to advance global animal and human health and well-being through excellence in learning, discovery and engagement.

Vision

  • Our graduates will excel in their choice of veterinary/biomedical careers.
  • We will advance global animal and human health and well-being through transformational and interdisciplinary research.
  • We will be a recognized authority for animal and public health through collaborations in medical care, diagnostics, education and discovery.

Values

Central to the mission of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine are the core values of access, diversity, equity, and inclusion, modeled by the Purdue Veterinary Medicine (PVM) community to foster a supportive learning and work environment, and articulated in the PVM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan.

  • Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into the academic principles of teaching, research and engagement
  • Recruit and advance a diverse community of faculty, staff and students
  • Elevate the PVM brand by expanding audience reach through more diverse channels
  • Cultivate a culture of excellence that supports a diverse and inclusive environment

Culture

The members of the Purdue Veterinary Medicine family:

  • Strive for excellence in all aspects of our work
  • Promote a collegial work and learning environment enhanced by multiple aspects of diversity
  • Emphasize innovation in delivery of our learning, discovery, and engagement programs
  • Actively support individual development of our faculty, staff, and students such that they can achieve their full potential as biomedical scientists, professionals, and individuals
  • Encourage collaborative, multidisciplinary discovery programs spanning a continuum of research, from basic science to applied research, benefiting both animal and human health (i.e., translational research).
  • Encourage participation in activities that enhance the veterinary profession and the reputation of the College

Strategic Themes

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine seeks to globally advance animal health and welfare and human health through excellence in learning, discovery, and engagement, as the leading veterinary college for the comprehensive education of the entire veterinary team and for discovery and engagement in selected areas of veterinary and comparative biomedical sciences. Our strategic plan is built around three main themes:


Focus Areas

Our strengths as a college relate to five focus areas that are foundational to each theme.

1. Programmatic Excellence

Purdue Veterinary Medicine (PVM) educates career-ready veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and scientists who are prepared to enter diverse types of positions in private practice, industry, government and academia. PVM is one of only four veterinary colleges in the U.S. that educates all members of the veterinary team.

2. Collegiality and Collaboration

PVM faculty collaborate with scholars in other colleges on the Purdue University campus and at the Indiana University School of Medicine, as well as with scientists at universities, research institutions and companies across the U.S. and abroad.

3. Farm Animals

PVM recognizes the importance of agriculture to Indiana and the world. We provide healthcare to farm animals, lead teams of scientists to solve problems affecting human and animal health (e.g. antimicrobial resistance), and educate the veterinary professionals who will protect the safety and security of our food supply.

4. Investing in People

PVM values our faculty, staff, and students as our greatest resources. We will provide opportunities for the members of our PVM family to enhance their technical and non-technical skills, which are essential for excellence in service and scholarship.

5. Investing in Infrastructure

Having recognized the need for new facilities, PVM is working with the University to create a master plan for an expanded veterinary medical complex.  The David and Bonnie Brunner Purdue Veterinary Medical Hospital Complex includes additional space for the Small Animal Hospital as well as new Equine and Farm Animal Hospitals. PVM continues to persistently plan for the future, investing in equipment and facilities needed for state-of-the art clinical and diagnostic services, leading-edge research, and modern learning environments for our students.


Discovery

Our vision is to advance global animal and human health and well-being through transformational and interdisciplinary research.

Goals

  • Launch a PVM-centered Antimicrobial Resistance initiative focused on developing diagnostic tools and vaccines, enhancing the microbiome, and protecting food animal health and welfare.  
  • Advance cancer research through the  Evan and Sue Ann Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center (WCORC).
  • Increase research in neuroscience through faculty involvement with the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience.
  • Address emerging mental health issues through research in human-animal interaction.
  • Lead collaborative research on orthopedics and musculoskeletal diseases.
  • Actively promote the skills and expertise of PVM researchers and the value of their research.
  • Actively facilitate clinical research and expand clinical trials.
  • Expand cross-university interdisciplinary collaborations.
  • Increase educational opportunities for undergraduate, DVM, and graduate students to participate in and advance PVM research.

Education

Our vision is that PVM graduates will excel in their choice of veterinary/biomedical careers.

Goals

  • Continuously improve the new curriculum, based on assessments of student performance, NAVLE and VTNE pass rates, and program outcomes, with further integration of Veterinary Nursing and DVM courses.
  • Develop new and innovative methods of clinical teaching in year 4 of the DVM curriculum that focus on achievement of entry-level competencies within a positive learning environment.
  • Use the AAVMC Competency Framework and Entrustable Professional Activities to map our DVM curriculum to program outcomes (competencies).
  • Implement activities and programs to help students acclimate to the demands of professional programs and promote student success.
  • Continuously improve Clinical Skills Lab utilization and resources.  
  • Continue to support student wellness with counseling resources and activities that promote self-care and wellbeing.
  • Provide faculty and instructional staff development opportunities to foster student-centered, outcomes-based learning and improved assessments.
  • Increase curricular opportunities for active learning and development of communication, leadership, management, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.

Engagement

Our vision is to be a recognized authority for animal and public health through collaborations in medical care, diagnostics, education, and discovery.

Goals

  • Be an expert resource for the profession and the public in PVM’s areas of excellence.
  • Provide excellent client service and patient care.
  • Continuously improve and develop new hospital and diagnostic laboratory services based on medical and scientific advances that are responsive to client needs.
  • Promote PVM hospital and diagnostic services through a robust website and social media presence, online educational materials, and regular communications.
  • Streamline delivery and billing of hospital and diagnostic lab services (clinical, diagnostic and research) for both internal and external clients.
  • Establish the Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital, in Shelbyville, Ind., as a center of excellence for advanced diagnostic imaging and a premier performance horse veterinary hospital.
  • Elevate the PVM brand by promoting our people, programs, and values through news releases, social media, and immersive onsite and virtual visitor experiences.
  • Increase and grow impactful global partnerships that facilitate the educational and discovery opportunities required to develop globally conscious veterinarians and veterinary nurses.
  • Globally promote veterinary/biomedical careers and animal health by delivering P-12 and undergraduate programming through community, practice, academic, industry, and governmental partnerships.