Why the AVMA's Council on Education should be an independent entity.

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Views: Commentary 599 F the past four years, I have opposed continued recognition of the AVMA’s Council on Education (COE) by the US Department of Education as the accreditation authority for colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, provoking the ire of several colleagues and friends. I have taken this position even though I know and deeply respect the past four COE chairs, believe that they and other members of the COE have acted with the best of intentions, and value the service that they have provided through the voluntary commitment of their time and efforts to veterinary education. Nonetheless, I am convinced that an independent accrediting body is needed, given the obvious real and apparent conflicts of interest that are undermining confidence in the leadership and decisions of the COE. In my view, although the existing COE has served the profession well for many decades, current political, economic, and academic realities place its outdated and conflicted governance structure under too much pressure to be effective, and it is time for a better system. Obvious real and apparent conflicts of interest held by the AVMA, which has oversight over the COE, unduly influence the establishment and execution of the standards of accreditation and thus necessitate separation. The AVMA benefits from funds made available to it by entities whose interests would be served by either weakening or enhancing accreditation standards. For example, veterinary service corporations that cosponsor AVMA programs benefit from a greater availability of veterinarians for employment, employ lobbyists who advise clients on the establishment of new veterinary schools seeking accreditation, and support these schools once established through clinical alliances. Conversely, the interests of individual or groups of veterinarians, on whom the AVMA depends for dues and elected leadership, are served by restricting the number of new graduates providing competing services. The financial and personal ties that exist between these entities and the AVMA represent conflicting interests that compromise confidence in the COE’s ability to make unbiased accreditation decisions. The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), which has recently partnered with the AVMA in the selection of COE members and will soon likely share costs and staffing responsibilities, has its own set of Why the AVMA’s Council on Education should be an independent entity