Contact: Anissa Riley, College of Veterinary Medicine
The Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM) welcomed 63 new doctors of veterinary medicine into the 75th graduating class on May 4 during the Graduate and Professional Schools formal ceremony in the Chappie James Arena.
With the Oath and Hooding ceremony, Tuskegee has now awarded over 3,000 veterinary medicine degrees from the only veterinary medical professional program on the campus of a Historically Black College or University.
"I am honored to have served as the dean to this Class of 2024 and it is with gladness of heart that I look forward to engaging with my colleagues as they now join me in a most distinguished group of veterinary professionals and veterinary alumni," said Dr. Ruby L. Perry, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine during the oath and hooding ceremony. “The College of Veterinary Medicine family is extremely proud of each graduate and we look forward to hearing about the accomplishments they will make as veterinary professionals, as leaders, as educators, and as researchers. They are well-equipped to make significant contributions and play vital roles in protecting and enhancing human and animal welfare as they embark on their various career paths on a journey of lifelong learning beyond the DVM degree. Congratulations Class of 2024!"
Each year a veterinary professional delivers the challenge address to the veterinary graduates. This year the Veterinary Medicine Oath keynote speaker was Tuskegee Veterinary alumna Carla Gartrell, DVM, JD, DACVIM. Dr. Gartrell, an ’88 graduate, gave an uplifting Veterinary Medicine Oath Charge to the newly named doctors of veterinary medicine. She is the seventh veterinary alum from Tuskegee University to be appointed as dean in the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).
Dr. Gartrell was appointed as the dean at Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine located in Glendale, Arizona, in 2022. She received both her B.S. and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degrees from Tuskegee University in 1988. Prior to becoming dean at Midwestern, she previously held the faculty and administration positions of Associate Professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and then promoted to Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. She is Board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Bar Association, and the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association.
During Dr. Gartrell’s presentation to the new graduates, she spoke on three stories that made a profound difference in her journey as a veterinarian. She summarized the following six core principles that all begin with the letter “C” for the graduates to embrace in her challenge to them: “1. Compassion – be compassionate and care deeply, 2. Curiosity – stay curious and committed to life-long learning, 3. Courage – be bold because you grow through what you go through, 4. Community – you are a vital part of a larger community so be involved in it, 5. Champion – be a champion for yourself, your patient and others, and lastly, 6. Celebrate – you have earned this moment so embrace your journey to get here and look forward to your futures, ” Dr. Gartrell said.
Dean Perry also recognized five TUCVM Distinguished Alumni Awards recipients during the veterinary medicine oath ceremony program. This year’s honorees included:
The Veterinary Oath and Hooding Ceremony it is available for viewing at the university’s YouTube Channel.
About the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine
Located in Alabama as one of the state’s two accredited veterinary programs, the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM) was envisioned in 1944 by Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, founder of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and officially established at Tuskegee in 1945. TUCVM is the only veterinary medical professional program located on the campus of a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the United States. The College has educated more than 70 percent of the nation’s African American veterinarians and has been recognized as the most diverse of all schools/colleges of veterinary medicine in the nation. The College’s primary mission is to provide an environment that fosters a spirit of active, independent, and self-directed learning, intellectual curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, ethics, and leadership; and promotes teaching, research, and service in veterinary medicine and related disciplines. For more information, visit www.tuskegee.edu/vetmed.
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