Plans are in the works to establish a School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. It would be just the second veterinary school at a historically Black college or university in the country.
“There’s a dire need to increase the number of veterinarians and the statistics have shown this very clearly. And superimposed on that is the need to diversify the profession, especially when you consider the fact that there are less than 3% Black veterinarians in the profession today,” said Moses Kairo, dean of the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences.
“The time is just right, there is a lot of interest and there are a lot of students who would be interested in joining the school here,” he added.
UMES is also one of the nation’s 19th century land-grant universities whose mission focuses on strengthening research in the field of agriculture and the sciences. The School of Veterinary Medicine will allow the school to better serve farmers and the food industry.
“Having a veterinary school is just a natural fit to our existing programs. … We really do need veterinarians just to ensure that our food system is secure and then to provide this service to this growing number of pet owners,” Kairo said.
The school must undergo accreditation and Dean Kairo said the program will be an innovative, 3-year accelerated program that will include all the critical components that exist in 4-year programs, enabling students to graduate from the school a year earlier.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is aiming to welcome its first class in the veterinary school by the fall of 2026.