Being the first to achieve something reflects a commitment to excel. The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s commitment to excel at positively impacting communities resulted in a first at Purdue University when the college was announced as Purdue’s first Engaged College in August. The university’s Engaged College Program (ECP) is a new initiative developed by Purdue’s Office of Engagement to support colleges with the resources to focus on building, sustaining, assessing, bringing awareness to, and rewarding quality community engagement activities. Through its participation in the ECP, Purdue Veterinary Medicine became the first college at the university to complete the Engaged College Program self-assessment and action plan.
That accomplishment reflected the work of a PVM task force, chaired by Associate Dean for Engagement and Professor Sandy San Miguel, that, with input from others, self-assessed the college across 25 items and five dimensions. Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s three-year action plan focuses on two goals:
- Increasing faculty, staff, and student awareness of Purdue’s definition of engagement and college engagement programs and opportunities.
- Developing and implementing a standardized system for tracking, collecting metrics, and celebrating the community engagement activities of faculty, staff and students.
“This process enabled us to take stock of all of the diverse engagement initiatives we have launched with communities across the globe,” said Dr. S. Kathleen Salisbury, then interim dean of the college and associate dean for academic affairs. “As a result, we are inspired to expand awareness of all that we are accomplishing through these mutually beneficial collaborations that positively impact animal and public health.”
PVM’s Engaged College Task Force included representatives from multiple departments and units as well as a community member, Erin Phillips, who is the principal of Lafayette School Corporation’s (LSC) Thomas Miller Elementary School, which is one of the college’s engagement partners.
This program is supported by the NIH, NIGMS, Science and Education Partnership Program.
In 2024, The LSC, on behalf of Miller Elementary, signed a five-year Activity Agreement with the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine for Dr. San Miguel to teach weekly veterinary science lessons to their 3rd and 4th grade students and to expose the other grades to science, as one means of improving state science scores.
More information about the Purdue Engaged College Program is available at https://www.purdue.edu/engagement/programs/ecp/
Other examples of the college’s engagement initiatives abound and include collaborations involving the Indiana State Fair held in August, when the college helps provide veterinary care for show animals and offers hands-on learning opportunities for State Fair visitors. Teams of veterinary student ambassadors are involved in the Indiana State Fair Vet Camp, leading multiple one-day versions of the ever popular on-campus summer Boiler Vet Camps. The State Fair Vet Camp gives middle and high school students opportunities to watch a neuter surgery demonstration and engage in hands-on learning activities, including sessions on suturing, cardiology, bandaging and diagnostic imaging.
Additionally, Purdue Veterinary Medicine students provide veterinary care for animals at the State Fair through a partnership that aims to streamline veterinary services and provide students with hands-on clinical experience. Purdue veterinary students play a crucial role in providing care to a wide range of animals at the fair, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and horses. Led by Purdue veterinary clinicians, the Purdue veterinary team provided 24/7 on-call care throughout the fair, coordinating all the veterinary services for the animals, including most of the 4-H animals. The partnership has been beneficial for both the students and the fair, ensuring the health and well-being of the animals and creating a positive experience for the exhibitors who show the animals.
Another example of this State Fair collaboration involves a partnership with Indiana 4-H Youth Development to provide veterinary expertise for the 4-H Dog Show. The Small Animal Primary Care Service of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital coordinated arrangements for DVM students to perform examinations on the dogs before they were shown, protecting the health of the animals by checking each dog for contagious diseases like upper respiratory infections, ear mites, mange and fleas. The Purdue Veterinary Medicine students worked under the supervision of veterinarians, examining over 330 dogs.
Overall, the college’s presence at the State Fair enables faculty and students to engage with the community and inspire future veterinarians. “Through this collaboration, our Purdue Veterinary Medicine volunteers showcase the great aspects of our profession and all of the outstanding engagement activities of our college,” said Dr. Jim Weisman, assistant dean for clinical education and clinical associate professor. “We appreciate the participation of everyone who played a role in the college’s involvement at the Indiana State Fair.”
PVM Engagement Podcasts
In an effort to increase the visibility of Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s many impactful community partnerships, the college launched a new podcast at the start of the new school year called “PVM – We’re Engaged” to showcase various engagement programs. One of the initial episodes focused on the collaboration between the college and the Indiana State Fair. Episode 4, entitled, “Fun”, can be viewed on PVM’s YouTube channel. The podcast highlights how the success of the PVM – State Fair relationship is attributed to the passion and dedication of the veterinarians involved, as well as effective communication, and a shared vision. Click here to access the PVM We’re Engaged podcasts via the YouTube playlist.
Other “PVM – We’re Engaged” episodes address partnerships like the college’s Priority 4 Paws collaboration with the Humane Society of Clinton County in Indiana – a long-term partnership that has had a significant impact on both organizations. Through Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Priority 4 Paws program, free veterinary care is provided to the Humane Society, including spays, neuters, and vaccinations, which helps the humane society increase adoptions. The partnership also offers valuable hands-on learning experiences for veterinary students, enabling them to gain confidence and competence in performing surgeries and providing primary care.
Another podcast episode, entitled “Brothers,” spotlights the international collaboration between Purdue Veterinary Medicine and Rakuno Gakuen University in Japan. This partnership involves an exchange program in which veterinary nursing students from both universities have the opportunity to participate in clinical rotations, visit labs, attend lectures, and engage in cultural activities. The goal is to expose students to different approaches to veterinary medicine and promote research and cultural exchange. The partnership benefits both institutions by providing students with a global perspective and fostering collaboration.
Purdue Veterinary Medicine also has an in-state collaboration involving veterinary nursing education. Purdue Veterinary Medicine partnered with Huntington University in Indiana to offer a dual degree program in animal health and veterinary nursing. The partnership began in 2021 when the president of Huntington University approached Purdue with the idea. The program enables students to attend classes at Huntington University while also completing the Veterinary Nursing program at Purdue remotely. The curriculum is rigorous and requires students to attend school during the summers. The successful collaboration has resulted in enrollment numbers that are exceeding expectations. The program provides hands-on experience through mentorships at area clinics and a skills lab at Huntington University.
Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s commitment to engagement and related accomplishments also was recognized by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), when it presented a Community Engagement Exemplary Project award to Purdue for The League of VetaHumanz program, led by Dr. Sandra San Miguel. Dr. Lindley McDavid, a co-investigator and longtime collaborator on the project accepted the award, on behalf of Purdue University, at the 2024 Engagement Scholarship Consortium’s Annual Conference in October in Portland, Oregon.
Seeking to address disparities in STEM programming for children, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Purdue’s Evaluation and Learning Research Center, together with local public schools, and community organizations, developed and delivers veterinary STEM curriculum focused on keeping people and their animals healthy. Led by Purdue and supported by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the program was replicated and scaled at other universities, evolving into a veterinary superhero league, called The League of VetaHumanz (www.VetaHumanz.org).
The league involves teams of veterinarians and students who partner with community organizations and schools to deliver the curriculum to under-resourced children. Role models develop a sense of belonging to the community, communication skills, and intercultural responsiveness while addressing community needs for positive and nurturing STEM educational experiences that build self-efficacy and seed career aspirations for children. To date, more than 200 Purdue veterinary students have participated, spending over 1,346 hours in service to the community in 2023 alone. Nationally, Purdue supports nearly 1,000 role models in 25 states, including teams at other veterinary colleges, who have delivered in-person experiences through the effort. Learn more about the role models on the VetaHumanz Live podcast by clicking here.
With all these points of engagement and more besides, Purdue Veterinary Medicine is pleased to take the lead as the university’s first Engaged College, and motivated to further raise awareness of, and spawn greater involvement in, these kinds of impactful community connections.
