Campus Voices: Eleanor M. Green
Dr. Eleanor M. Green
Meet Eleanor M. Green: Dr. Eleanor M. Green, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine, currently serves as the dean for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM). The CVM is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. Green holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida-Gainesville and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Specialty Internal Medicine, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Certified in Equine Practice.
To better serve the citizens of Texas and the veterinary profession, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) is embarking on one of the largest building projects in university history to date. Utilizing $120 million from the Permanent University Fund (PUF), the CVM will be home to a new education building and Small Animal Hospital expansion. As you can see, these are exciting times for veterinary medicine, and we are poised to meet the growing demands of the veterinary profession in the coming years.
The expansion project supports our mission of enhancing animal, human, and environmental health. We understand the fundamental role veterinary medicine plays in One Health, with human medicine, public health, agriculture, wildlife health, and environmental health systems. In recognition of the interconnectedness of animal, human, and ecosystem health, veterinarians have become an even greater part of local, national and global health care teams. Approximately 75% of newly emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic, i.e., they are transmissible between animals and people, and over 80% of bioterrorism agents are zoonotic. Thus, an integrated approach to One Health, with veterinarians playing a key role, is essential for the greater good.
The CVM is one of 31 colleges in the United States and Canada and constantly highly regarded. Each year, the college admits approximately 136 veterinary students a, making it one of the largest colleges of veterinary medicine in the world. As the only veterinary college in the state of Texas, the CVM is dedicated to a mission of serving the citizens of Texas and beyond – “touching every Texan every day.” This commitment to the state is important because Texas is ranked number one in the nation in numbers of cattle, horses, small ruminants, and deer. Despite the animal populations in the state, Texas ranks last among the 10 most populous states in veterinarians per million food and fiber animals and ranks 45th among all states for practicing veterinarians per 100,000 people. Over time, the growth in numbers of veterinarians has lagged behind the population growth of people, currently at 25 million. The CVM is committed to responding to the needs of Texas by providing an adequate supply of veterinarians. The new construction will allow for class size expansion, as needed, new programs, and additional training opportunities designed to address the shortage of rural veterinarians.
One of the main goals of the CVM is to produce veterinarians ready to be successful in meeting the demands of the dynamic, constantly evolving veterinary profession. The new education building will house high technology classrooms and advanced teaching labs, allowing students to learn by the most modern and effective teaching methodologies. New teaching technology will improve student engagement, clinical learning, and hands-on veterinary experience, not only in the education building, but also in the Small Animal Hospital expansion. As a teaching facility, the Small Animal Hospital expansion will allow increased services, caseloads, and activities which enhance student learning.
Improving the facilities that make up the CVM will allow us to continue recruiting and retaining the best faculty, staff, and students. While people make programs, the facilities in which they work expand their capabilities and horizons. The new facilities not only will address current needs of the veterinary profession, but also will allow effective responses to changing needs of veterinary medicine.
The new facilities are critical to ensuring that the CVM remains one of the top rated veterinary medical schools in the United States. The new construction symbolizes the commitment of the State of Texas and Texas A&M to veterinary medicine and the commitment of the CVM to be a leader in training the next generation of veterinary medical professionals – for Texas A&M and the state of Texas.
