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The Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine 60th Annual "Diamond" Veterinary Medical Symposium
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The Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine 60th Annual "Diamond" Veterinary Medical Symposium
Crystal Drake26 March 2026
3 minute read
The family of Dr. Patterson along with Dr. Blackwell, CVM Dean Gilbreath, and Dr. Bailey
Contact: Crystal Drake, Office of Strategic Communications Anissa Riley, College of Veterinary Medicine
Just like a reunion at Homecoming, the 60th Annual Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM) Symposium brought together more than 500 alumni, former and present faculty, staff, students, and partners.
This 60th symposium honored TUCVM’s 81-year legacy and the bold plan to achieve new heightsin teaching, research, and service. Support for these goals and construction of a new small animal hospital and preclinical building has been designated the No. 1 project of Tuskegee University’s $300 million comprehensive campaign, Solving the World’s Most Complex Problems.
Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO, joined Dr. Ebony Gilbreath, Dean of the TUCVM, for the State of the College address to give updates on the accreditation review with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Dr. Brown praised Dr. Gilbreath’s leadership, and the wisdom and invaluable support of TUCVM alumnus and former Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Dr. Willie Reed, in Tuskegee’s ongoing conversations with AVMA arbitrators.
“We have demonstrated our healthy endowment, our liquidity, upgrades in our infrastructure, an increase in caseloads and a significant increase in our students’ NAVLE pass rate,” said Dr. Brown, while pointing out several anomalous and contradictory standards used by the AVMA in their analysis. “This is our school,” said Dr. Brown, “and we will defend her until the end.” The university is awaiting the results of the hearing.
Meanwhile, participants at the symposium engaged in a variety of sessions on current research and practice trends, building generational community within the profession, and staving off burnout and reducing stress were included in the events held on campus and in Montgomery. Attendees also enjoyed a black-tie gala, golf tournament and an alumni versus students kickball game on campus at the Cleve Abbott Memorial Stadium (the students won!).
At the Diamond Celebration Gala, a full house of TUCVM reunion classes gathered to honor their alma mater, demonstrating unwavering support with a combined financial contribution of more than $300,000.
New this year, the Symposium also included the Inaugural Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson Opening Plenary Session. Dr. Patterson, a veterinarian himself, was Tuskegee’s third president and founded the School of Veterinary Medicine in 1944 – the same year he also founded the United Negro College Fund.
TUCVM alum and president of the American Veterinary Medical Association Dr. Michael Q. Bailey delivered the keynote address, highlighting the triumphs of veterinarians, scientists and inventors who all endured and surmounted injustice, prejudice and failure along their journeys to greatness.
“The first time I had ever traveled below the Mason Dixon line was to come to Tuskegee,” said Dr. Bailey, who was born in Queens, New York and raised in Hopewell, New Jersey. “And one of the first things I saw when I got off the bus that brought me there was a ‘whites only’ water fountain, and one marked for ‘colored’ next to it. They were not still being used, but they were still there. This was 1978.”
Dr. Bailey recounted that moment as one that helped him to understand the gravity of what his work could mean, and the shoulders he was standing on to do it.
I leveraged my grit at Tuskegee,” he said. “I believe in what Tuskegee does, what the African-America race can do, that we should not erase the history of the people who shaped the world.”
In her address on the State of the College, Dr. Gilbreath, who earned her bachelor’s in Animal and Poultry Science in 2000 followed by her DVM in 2004, outlined TUCVM’s strategic priorities:
Enhance student outcomes
Strengthen faculty recruitment and retention
Expand research and One Health impact
Elevate clinical and diagnostic services
Grow partnerships and fundraising
Dr. Gilbreath highlighted important achievements recently achieved at TUCVM:
Nearly $10 million in funded faculty research projects
A newly awarded $750,000 USDA NIFA grant focused on applying machine learning to food safety
Growth in interdisciplinary collaborations, including dual-degree programs and doctorate in veterinary medicine and master’s in public health and student partnerships
She also shared her thoughts on how the TUCVM legacy remains strong. She urged every TUCVM alum to get involved in sustaining TUCVM’s upward trajectory through financial support and by adding their names to the web-based mentoring platform connecting alums to students.
“We didn’t get here by ourselves,” added Dr. Gilbreath. “Every member of the faculty and staff, our dedicated clinicians and veterinary technicians, our talented students and the Tuskegee University administration – that is what makes Tuskegee so special. That is what makes Tuskegee Tuskegee.”
Please explore The Campaign for Tuskegee University, our historic $300 million comprehensive campaign. To learn more about supporting the College of Veterinary Medicine and the campaign, please contact: Michael Hurlbert, Executive Director of Major Gifts and Legacy Giving at(334) 421-1340 or mhurlbert@tuskegee.edu.
Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO, joined Dr. Ebony Gilbreath, Dean of the TUCVM, for the State of the College address to give updates on the accreditation review with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Dr. Brown praised Dr. Gilbreath’s leadership, and the wisdom and invaluable support of TUCVM alumnus and former Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Dr. Willie Reed, in Tuskegee’s ongoing conversations with AVMA arbitrators. 
At the Diamond Celebration Gala, a full house of TUCVM reunion classes gathered to honor their alma mater, demonstrating unwavering support with a combined financial contribution of more than $300,000. 
Dr. Bailey recounted that moment as one that helped him to understand the gravity of what his work could mean, and the shoulders he was standing on to do it. 