AAVMC Admissions and Recruitment Committee

The Admissions and Recruitment Committee (ARC) is a committee of the Assembly of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). The ARC’s responsibilities are assigned by the AAVMC Board of Directors. In a broad sense, the ARC is charged with addressing issues related to the centralized admissions service created by AAVMC member institutions and the AAVMC recruitment strategy. This charge includes:

• Working with application service vendors or any servicing agents with whom the AAVMC may contract to design and maintain a centralized application instrument, the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS).
• Collaborating with AAVMC and VMCAS personnel to monitor vendor performance and other operational developments over the course of application cycles, and to report all findings on a frequent and regular basis to the AAVMC Board of Directors.
• Receive and evaluate recommendations from AAVMC member institutions regarding the improvement and establishment of VMCAS policies and procedures, and making recommendations regarding the same to the AAVMC Board of Directors.
• Proposing, researching, evaluating, and making recommendations to the AAVMC Board of Directors regarding VMCAS policies and procedures.
• Receive and evaluate recommendations from AAVMC member institutions regarding the improvement and establishment of best practices and recommended guidelines in admissions; making recommendations regarding the same to the AAVMC Board of Directors; and distributing Board-approved best practices and recommended guidelines to AAVMC member institutions for their consideration.
• Proposing, researching, evaluating, and making recommendations to the AAVMC Board of Directors regarding best practices and recommended guidelines in recruitment; making recommendations regarding the same to the AAVMC Board of Directors; and distributing Board-approved best practices and recommended guidelines to AAVMC member institutions for their consideration.
• Researching, evaluating, and proposing to the AAVMC Board of Directors a recruitment strategy for the AAVMC, and, as directed by the Board of Directors, assisting AAVMC staff in the distribution, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of this strategy.
• Submitting budgetary needs for committee operations, programming, and training to the AAVMC for approval. The AAVMC will remain solely responsible for all financial issues pertaining to the expenditure of funds arising from the application service.
• Ensuring that admissions policies are applied fairly and consistently, and reviewing and approving or rejecting applicant deadline extension requests.
• Proposing, planning, and implementing the admissions workshops at AAVMC conferences, meetings, and symposia.
• Proposing, planning, and implementing recruitment workshops at AAVMC conferences, meetings, and symposia.

1. The AAVMC Board of Directors and the AAVMC Executive Director shall have oversight responsibility for the committee.
2. The committee shall be composed of a one representative from each member institution, plus an ex-officio liaison member representing the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) with an executive group to facilitate the committee. The executive group of the ARC shall issue a call on an annual basis to all AAVMC member institutions requesting the appointment of representatives to the committee. Committee members shall serve at the pleasure of their institutional representative, and may be reappointed without limitation.
3. Members of the committee shall recommend to the President of the AAVMC an executive group drawn from the committee's membership. The executive group shall consist of seven members. The President shall have the authority to accept, reject, or appoint his/her own nominee(s) to the executive group. Members of the executive group shall be selected on the basis of their knowledge and understanding of the veterinary school application process and their willingness to serve on the executive group. Members of the executive group shall serve a term of three years. Terms shall be staggered, so that two, two, and three terms shall expire each successive year, respectively. Members of the executive group may be reappointed without limitation. It shall be the policy of the AAVMC Board of Directors and the ARC to seek to maintain the continuity of the executive group.
4. Members of the committee shall, in its first year, recommend a chair-elect, chair, and past-chair for the executive group to the President of the AAVMC. The term of office for the chair-elect, chair, and past-chair shall be one year. The chair shall automatically succeed to the office of past-chair. The chair-elect shall automatically succeed to the office of chair. In each successive year, the committee shall recommend to the President, one member of its nominated executive group to serve as chair-elect. The President shall have the authority to accept, reject, or appoint his/her own nominee(s) as chair-elect, chair, or past-chair of the executive group.
5. The VMCAS Operations Manager or his/her designee shall serve as an ex-officio member of the committee. The VMCAS Operations Manager shall have the authority to cast a vote only in the event of a tie vote on either the committee or the executive group.
6. The VMCAS Operations Manager shall serve as AAVMC's staff liaison to the committee and its executive group. The VMCAS Operations Manager shall be responsible for preparing materials to be distributed to and for recording the minutes of the committee and the executive group.

1. The Committee shall endeavor to meet at least once a month via a telephone conference call at a mutually acceptable time. The Committee shall convene more often as needed at request of one-half of the executive group, one-third of the committee membership, or the VMCAS Operations Manager.
2. For the purposes of conducting business, quorum shall consist of at least half of the members of the executive committee, or at least half of the members of the committee. A quorum must be established before the executive group or the committee may make a recommendation to the AAVMC Board of Directors. Committee members may establish a proxy voting policy.
3. The Board of Directors shall have the sole authority to approve all major changes to the VMCAS system. The committee shall submit proposed major changes as a recommendation(s) at least one month prior to any regularly scheduled meeting of the AAVMC Board of Directors.

2012-2013 Committee Executive Group Roster