Complaints and comments regarding program quality

The AVMA Council on Education (COE) provides an opportunity for interested parties to submit written comments concerning college qualifications for accreditation and compliance with the accreditation standards.

For more information about COE policies and procedures regarding the complaint process, consult Section 1.7.3 of the Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual of the AVMA Council on Education.

Submitting complaints

An appropriate complaint alleges that a college is not complying with accreditation standards and involves ongoing or pervasive issues, not isolated or individual acts. The COE addresses such complaints through investigation, not mediation. The COE will determine whether the information submitted constitutes an appropriate complaint and will proceed according to policy. The COE will not intervene on behalf of individuals or act as a court of appeal for individual matters of admission, appointment, promotion or dismissal of faculty, staff, or students.

Complaints must be written, addressed to the COE, and signed with a personal signature for consideration. The COE will take responsible precaution to protect the identity of the complainant from being revealed to the college; however, the COE cannot guarantee confidentiality of the complainant.

Complaints may be submitted by email to COEatavma [dot] org (COE[at]avma[dot]org) or sent by mail:

AVMA Council on Education, Education and Research Division, AVMA
1931 N. Meacham Rd. Suite 100
Schaumburg IL 60173-4360 

Submitting comments

The COE publishes a notices of its plans to conduct site visits for programs seeking reasonable assurance, initial accreditation status, or re-accreditation in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) and on the AVMA website and provides interested parties an opportunity to submit comments.

The COE evaluates veterinary medical education programs for compliance with the accreditation standards—comments must address these standards and be signed to be considered.

Comments may be submitted by email to kbrandtatavma [dot] org (kbrandt[at]avma[dot]org) or sent by mail:

Dr. Karen Martens Brandt, director, Education and Research Division, AVMA
1931 N. Meacham Rd., Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360

Submitting complaints regarding the AVMA Council on Education

A complaint about the COE itself, COE practices and Standards, or the conduct of a COE accreditation evaluation as outlined in Section 1.7.2 in the Policies and Procedures Manual, must be emailed directly to COE staff, Dr. Karen Martens Brandt (kbrandtatavma [dot] org (kbrandt[at]avma[dot]org)) and copied to COEatavma [dot] org (COE[at]avma[dot]org), or addressed c/o Dr. Karen Brandt at this mailing address:

Dr. Karen Martens Brandt, director, Education and Research Division, AVMA
1931 N. Meacham Rd., Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360