Monday, October 06, 2008

Tuskegee University Leader in Producing Black Vets

Tuskegee University Leader in Producing Black Vets: Ask any African-American veterinarian — anywhere in the country — where they attended veterinary school.

Odds are they’ll name a school in Alabama.

“If you see a Black face, that person probably came from Tuskegee University,” says Dr. Ruby Perry, associate dean at the School of Veterinary Medicine.

More than 70 percent of Black veterinarians in the United States are Tuskegee grads, Perry says, and the school continues to train 50 to 60 percent.

You won’t, however, stand out on campus if you're not one of the 120 Black veterinary students.

“We wouldn’t be truthful to the ideals of diversity if we only had African-American students,” Perry says.

Haylie Hendershot, for example, is one of 100 Whites on campus.