GOVERNING TTU OP: Not applicable.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) policy document is to define the role and membership of the SVM Admissions Committee.

DATE OF POLICY: 09DEC2024

REVIEW: This SVM Policy shall be reviewed every third year by the SVM Admissions Committee. Revisions will be forwarded to the Dean’s Executive Leadership Council for review and disposition.

POLICY/PROCEDURE

BACKGROUND: The SVM Admissions Committee has the primary role of selecting veterinary student candidates who will help the school achieve its purpose of serving rural and regional communities. The Admissions Committee membership is made up of TTU SVM faculty, staff, students, and clinical partners and uses a process based on the Association of American Medical Colleges Holistic Review Initiative1 to evaluate each candidate life experiences, personal attributes, and metrics. In-person interviews are conducted using a modified multimini-interview process. The Admissions Committee makes recommendations to the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs (ADASA) who makes the final determination of candidates to admit. The ADASA will convey the final decision to the Dean.

ROLES OF THE COMMITTEE: The roles of the SVM Admissions Committee are to:

1. Review and develop, when needed, policies for, and information describing, the admissions process for the DVM program;
2. Review applicants for admission;
3. Review criteria annually for pre-screening, screening, interviews, and admission to the DVM program;
4. Provide demographic reports on acceptances during the period from offers to open admission cycle to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs;
5. Advise and recommend to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs the candidates for admission;
6. Provide application and admission reports annually to the Data Synthesis and Analysis Committee and other reports as need for outcomes assessment; and
7. Review, at least annually, reports from the Data Synthesis and Analysis Committee.

ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE: The Committee will perform its work relative to the RaiderVet Core Values, and to the objectives of the TTU SVM:

• Graduate practice-ready, competent, and confident veterinarians and veterinary scientists;
• Provide access to affordable, high-quality veterinary medical education;
• Develop a research-intensive school that enhances and complements the strengths of TTU and the TTUHSC and addresses the needs for research and expertise in veterinary medicine, food- and fiber-animal production, and One Health sciences;
• Provide opportunities for graduate education and research and advanced clinical training in internships and residencies;
• Disseminate research findings; and
• Improve human, animal, and ecosystem health by integrating innovative One Health activities into our education, scholarship, and service activities.

REPORTING: The Admissions Committee reports to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Recommendations from the committee will be reviewed by the Dean’s Executive Leadership Council.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP: This committee will be made up of 24 members (22 of which are voting members), representing faculty, staff, student(s), and community members. The majority of voting members will be full-time faculty. Each Committee member, except for the student members, will be appointed by the Dean or the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs. Appointment of faculty members will be made in consultation with Assistant Deans:

• Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs – Chair, perpetual
• Associate Dean for Clinical Programs or Associate Dean for Research
• Director of Admissions and Student Services (non-voting)
• Admissions and Scholarships Coordinator – minutes (non-voting)
• 11 faculty members representing various discipline areas
• 5 non-faculty veterinarians representing Texas or New Mexico (minimum of 1 veterinarian representing the state of New Mexico)
• 4 students representing each class, selected by the TTU SVM Director of Admissions & Student Services and current student admissions committee members. The 1st year student representative is not selected until the spring semester of their first year.

LEADERSHIP AND TERM LENGTHS: Term lengths of initial members will be staggered. Subsequent terms will be three years. Student membership is permanent if they remain in good academic standing and want to continue their membership on the committee. Clinical year students will remain on the committee but will only participate as their clinical rotations allow. The Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs serves as the Chair of the Committee.

QUORUM: A quorum, which will consist of a simple majority of the voting membership (22 voting members, 12 for majority) of the Committee, will be required for all meetings in which issues are to be brought to a vote. The Chair will vote only in the case of a tie. Attendance will be recorded and reported to the Associate Dean for Faculty. If voting members agree, electronic voting may occur in the absence of an in-person meeting.

MEETING FREQUENCY AND AGENDA: The Admissions Committee will meet in January to select the incoming class. The Committee will meet in August for a training and review of admissions criteria. Additional meetings will occur as needed. Please refer to the Admissions Policies & Procedures document for more detail. 

¹1 https://www.aamc.org/services/member-capacity-building/holistic-review