Mission

Our mission is to inclusively educate and train outstanding clinicians and scientists from diverse backgrounds, generate new knowledge, engage stakeholders, and foster economic growth, all of which promote and protect the health and welfare of animals and people.  Simply put, our mission is to Teach, Heal, Discover and Serve.

Vision and Values

We are passionate about defining the future of veterinary medicine to improve animal and human health.

Our shared vision is reflected in our mission and our values statements. These beliefs have guided the strategic planning process and the establishment of our strategies, objectives and goals.  As we move the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) forward, we will seek excellence in all aspects of our mission including teaching, research, service, economic growth, and outreach and engagement.

We define excellence as:

• Training a diverse group of professional leaders who think critically, solve problems, effectively communicate with others, and adapt to the evolving demands of the veterinary profession,
• Creating flexibility in our systems, processes and resources to meet the changing needs of our profession and our constituents,
• Leading the way in One Health through our exceptional collaborations within and across disciplines,
• Maintaining a collegial and inclusive environment that values integrity, accountability and respect for each individual,
• Achieving financial sustainability to thrive in any economic landscape, and
• Creating awareness of the mission of the CVM and building ongoing commitment and loyalty to that mission.

Four Strategic Goals

We have defined four strategic goals encompassing the four components of the College’s mission – Teach, Heal, Discover, and Serve.  Accordingly, each of the strategic goals and accompanying objectives outlines the College’s priorities in each of these areas for the next three years (2020-2023).  Under each goal, the objectives are ordered based on priority, i.e. objective 1 in each goal was deemed the highest priority within that goal.

In addition to the four strategic goals articulated below, among the overarching goals of the College will be to enhance diversity and promote an atmosphere of inclusion, mutual respect and open expression, and establish and grow programs for faculty, staff and student wellness that promote healthy and sustainable workloads for all members of the CVM community.

Strategic Goal #1: Teach – We are committed to educating those who will help define the future of veterinary medicine: veterinary students, veterinary interns and residents, graduate students, veterinary technicians, veterinary practitioners, and researchers who seek to advance their knowledge and expertise. The teach roadmap for the CVM is informed by an overarching vision for curricula, assessment, and teaching in the CVM that is connected to accreditation criteria, better engages stakeholder perspectives, and promotes healthy and sustainable workloads for all community members.

This vision defines our student outcomes and directs how they will be assessed and reported.

In addition, it outlines mechanisms for departments and service units to enhance curricula and the delivery of course content in the CVM.  To focus efforts on assessment, enhancement, and improvement of established curricula in the CVM, with the exception of initiatives currently underway and approved by the Dean, this process will limit the development of new curricula, certificates, and programs during the next three years.

The teach vision and goals align with principles from the Student Success component of MU’s Strategic Plan. Specifically, they incorporate student engagement and well-being, supporting, recognizing and incentivizing teaching excellence and creating workforce ready graduates.

Objective 1: Continue to improve the overall education experience for all CVM trainees.

Objective 2: Emphasize and exemplify a culture that prioritizes, rewards and invests in teaching excellence.

Objective 3: Improve resources for teaching, by enhancing the CVM learning infrastructure.

Strategic Goal #2: Heal – We will continue to position the Veterinary Health Center and Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory as leaders in advanced clinical care and diagnostics.  Our services will provide hands-on experiences for teaching and focus our research by identifying clinical and translational problems that warrant further investigation.  We will demonstrate excellence in practice using leading-edge expertise, techniques, and equipment in a manner that is accessible to our clientele.

Objective 1: Invest in people (existing and new hires), technology, equipment, and facilities to meet or exceed accreditation standards and ensure the competitiveness of the VHC and VMDL.

Objective 2: Continually enhance patient care, customer service, and accountability among personnel within the VHC and VMDL.

Objective 3: Effectively manage clinical and diagnostic caseload through marketing efforts and strategic expansion of services to support and fulfill the educational, research, and service missions of the VHC and VMDL.

Objective 4: Track and balance revenues/expenditures within the VHC and VMDL to allow for improved prioritization and decision making whilst considering our primary mission(s).

Objective 5: Seek new and untapped service, research, and educational ventures to increase revenue for the VHC and VMDL including building collaborations within and outside MU, e.g. Next Generation Precision Health Initiative, Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance (COHA), and MU School of Medicine.

Strategic Goal #3: Discover – We are committed to expanding knowledge and expertise in veterinary medicine, comparative medicine and translational research to advance animal and human health. We will lead nationally and internationally by positioning the College of Veterinary Medicine as a premier research entity based on the strengths of our areas of research focus and our research training programs.

Objective 1: Build a strong research environment and provide the tools to support research success.

Objective 2: Bolster graduate and postdoctoral training programs to benefit trainees and elevate the reputation of CVM research.

Objective 3: Enrich the nationally and internationally ranked research presence of the College.

Strategic Goal #4: Serve – We will increase public and stakeholder awareness through engagement and outreach and develop targeted marketing and advancement strategies to provide additional CVM revenue streams and better serve our internal and external stakeholders.

Objective 1: Strategically and inclusively expand the CVM’s engagement and outreach efforts, first focusing on the needs of Missourians.

Objective 2: Market the CVM’s unique role in serving Missourians and society.

Objective 3: Foster a culture of innovative economic development and entrepreneurship by forming strategic partnerships with industry and other key stakeholders.

Objective 4: Expand philanthropic investment in the CVM to enhance its teach, heal, discovery, and service missions.