Vet Up! DVM Scholars Program Receives 2023 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine

Friday, August 18, 2023

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine has received the 2023 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education, in recognition of the Vet Up! DVM Scholars Program. The Inspiring Programs in STEM Awards, which were just announced this week, honor colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As a result of receiving the award, the Vet Up! DVM Scholars program will be featured, along with 79 other award recipients, in the September 2023 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

Inspiring Programs in STEM Award winners were selected by INSIGHT Into Diversity based on their efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives. The Vet Up!^® DVM Scholars program provides academic, social, and financial support to Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine DVM degree students from matriculation to timely graduation from their veterinary medical degree program and employment in a veterinary shortage area. The program is part of Vet Up!^® The National Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) Academy for Veterinary Medicine, which also includes two other components – Vet Up! Champions and Vet Up! College. Completion of Vet Up! College is required to be eligible for the DVM Scholars program.

Funded with a $3.18 million federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Vet Up! addresses a national shortage of veterinarians in public health and rural/food animal practice in Indiana and beyond, and a significant lack of underrepresented individuals entering the veterinary profession. The goal of the program is to fill veterinary shortage areas with equity-minded individuals from underrepresented populations and rural areas.

Vet Up! Champions is a yearlong program to prepare high school students, working adults, and undergraduate students to attain their next level of education on the path toward a veterinary medical degree. Vet Up! College is a summer immersion program to prepare undergraduate students to competitively apply to a veterinary medical degree (DVM) program.

The group stands smiling around a table decorated in black and gold in the Veterinary Medical Library. — A group of DVM Scholars join Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Marsha Baker and Dean Willie Reed during Marsha’s welcome reception in December 2022.

“We are honored to receive the Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine for our Vet Up! DVM Scholars program this year,” said Marsha Baker, assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion. “This initiative is an important cornerstone of our broader effort to truly diversify, not only our student body in our veterinary educational program, but the entire veterinary medical profession as well. It is really exciting to see the wealth of talent and the intense enthusiasm that is coming into our veterinary classes as students from so many different backgrounds and regions are finding that they are welcome at Purdue and will thrive here.”

This year marks the third time that Vet Up! has been recognized as a recipient of the Inspiring Programs in STEM Award.

“We know that many STEM programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication, and mentorship for underrepresented students,” said Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in STEM. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”

A call for nominations for this award was announced in April 2023. For more information about the 2023 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award and INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, visit insightintodiversity.com.

As the oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education, INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is known for its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only award that recognizes colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts across their campuses. Purdue Veterinary Medicine is a four-time recipient of the HEED Award (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022). In 2021, the college was further honored with the magazine’s Diversity Champion Award – the first time that the publication has named a veterinary college as a Diversity Champion for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine presents timely, thought-provoking news and feature stories on matters of diversity and inclusion in higher education and beyond. Articles include interviews with innovators and experts, as well as explorations of best practices and profiles of exemplary programs. In the Career Center, readers will also discover career opportunities that connect job seekers with institutions and businesses that embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce. Current, archived, and digital issues of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine are available online at insightintodiversity.com.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu