Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Fast Facts

School Info

The mission of Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine is to advance the health and well-being of animals and people through education, research, and public service. As one of 30 veterinary colleges and schools in the US, and one of only three in the Northeast, the College of Veterinary Medicine is consistently ranked as a leading veterinary college by US News & World Report. The College itself boasts 7 teaching hospitals and 4 research centers hosting its 5 academic departments and 43 clinical specialties.

Since its inception in 1894, the College of Veterinary Medicine has had 5,073 graduates and current has 199 faculty along with 582 nonacademic staff members. The College has around 100 individuals in each DVM class as well as 120 graduate students and 173 post-terminal degree trainees, including interns, residents, and post-docs.

Curriculum

The academic program at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine provides an innovative curriculum with a broad biomedical and clinical foundation in the comparative aspects of each discipline. The curriculum is presented in a variety of formats that include small- and large-group exercises, lectures, laboratory exercises, and discussion, allowing students to develop clinical skills, and work with live animals beginning in the first week. It also offers ample opportunities for students to pursue individual interests in depth, and to tailor their learning to meet specific needs.

Students are actively engaged in learning, working with faculty, peers, and independently. Cooperation is stressed over competition,and learning for understanding is emphasized over rote memorization. In this environment, students are viewed as future colleagues, and they are encouraged to consult often with faculty experts and to explore a range of educational resource materials that have been developed to support their learning.

Facilities

The College of Veterinary Medicine is located on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, New York. In the heart of the Finger Lakes region, Ithaca provides a balanced atmosphere of city and country. The college's central campus has five main buildings on 15 acres with a total of 1.2 million square feet of space. These buildings include the Veterinary Medical Center which houses the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, research facilities and offices as well as the Veterinary Education Center which includes state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, lecture halls, and the veterinary library. The Veterinary Research Tower, a nine-story building, houses research facilities and offices and Schurman Hall housing classrooms, tutorial rooms, the modular resource center, research facilities, and offices. The final building, the Animal Health Diagnostic Center, serves as the official laboratory of New York State and the state diagnostic center for animal disease control.

Nearby the central campus are several additional college facilities including a state-of-the-art Teaching Dairy Barn facility, world-renowned Center for Canine and Equine Research, 165 Acre Equine Park and Equine Annex. Cornell’s CVM also has satellite facilities throughout New York State, principally to meet the mission of the Animal Health Diagnostic Center.