Badgers open doors. The Raimey-Noland Campaign is another step in UW–Madison’s efforts to promote a sense of belonging among all members of the campus community. Within every program on campus, we hope to see a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. This campaign draws attention to and seeks support for work that creates a community of many perspectives where people feel they belong — work going on at the broad campus level and within individual units, as well as in athletics programs. The campaign’s name honors the UW’s first identified female and male Black graduates, Mabel Watson Raimey 1918 and William Smith Noland 1875, and it aims to inspire a new era of giving.
SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
The School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) includes a wide diversity in its student body, faculty, and staff, which contributes to its internationally admired academic environment. Like the university, the SVM believes that fostering a climate of diversity and inclusiveness infused with high ethical standards, professionalism, and compassion, contributes to the quality of its programs and graduates. Learn more about the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at vetmed.wisc.edu/dei.
Photo by Britta Wellenstein
STUDENT SUPPORT
A priority initiative is scholarships for veterinary medicine students who aid in the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. An initial goal is to secure an endowment of $250,000, which will generate $10,000 annually. With a $1 million endowment, the school could, in perpetuity, offer one full scholarship to a student in the doctor of veterinary medicine program. The SVM also hopes to hire students as DEI advocates, two or three members of each class who will support efforts to implement the SVM’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. These students will also serve as class representatives to help bring DEI needs to the attention of the school’s assistant dean for DEI, Richard Barajas MIPA’06. The SVM DEI advocates program will need $10,000 in annual funding to hire those students.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The school would like all faculty, staff, and students to complete the Purdue Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine. The online certificate takes 20 to 40 hours to complete and includes facilitated group discussions to further participants’ DEI development and journey. To make the course a requirement for each incoming class, the SVM will need $5,000 in gift funds annually. The school would also like to offer the Intercultural Development Inventory assessment, which evaluates an individual’s comfort level working across cultures. The school piloted this assessment with first-year students in 2020–21, with positive feedback. With $2,000 in annual gift funds, the school can offer the assessment to faculty, staff, and students.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
The SVM has several plans to build connections between students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It aims to create in-person DEI talks welcoming alumni back to campus. The school has also fostered community through a well-received program of book conversations, discussing a different book each semester. The Schools of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy will begin a pilot program in 2022–23 in which three interprofessional gatherings each semester will bring together colleagues from diverse backgrounds to help build community and foster networking. Approximately $10,000 in annual gifts is needed to fund these efforts.
“The UW School of Veterinary Medicine is steadfastly committed to creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion among our students, faculty, staff, and the larger veterinary medical community. A diversity of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for the school, university, and profession. Our DEI efforts allow us to better respond to a diversifying society’s varied and changing needs and prepare our graduates to have the biggest impact possible as they engage with clients and colleagues from a range of populations and backgrounds.”
Mark D. Markel
Dean
Photo by Bryce Richter
Pat Bowdish ’03
Associate Vice President and Managing Director
Phone: 608-332-4750
Email: [email protected]
The Raimey-Noland Campaign for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging supports a variety of funds that reflect its multifaceted goals: to enroll more students from underrepresented backgrounds, attract diverse faculty and mentors, support research on social and racial justice issues, and provide more academic support and career preparation to enable a thriving campus community.