[1] The AAVMC also began holding the Iverson Bell Symposium in 1972 to promote diversity in the field of veterinary medicine.
[1] The organization began to receive corporate support in 1965, when Merck Chemical Division made a donation of $10,000.
[1] The three-Council structure of AAVMC was eliminated in 1984, and the organization was restructured to include a board of directors and an executive committee.
[1] Billy Hooper, former associate dean for academic affairs at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, became the full-time executive director and helped create a permanent office in Washington D.C. in 1986.
[5][6] The AAVMC also supports increasing appropriations allotments for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, which provides $25,000 in loan repayment per year, for a period of three years, for veterinarians who agree to practice medicine in areas that have veterinary medical shortages, as determined by the USDA.
[5][7] In addition, the AAVMC supports increased funding for research programs that target antimicrobial resistance.
[5] To advocate for these issues in Washington D.C., the AAVMC regularly writes letters in support of policy initiatives in higher education, animal health, biomedical research, and agriculture.
[5] The AAVMC also conducts legislative briefings, has an active Advocacy Committee,[8] works with the Veterinary Medicine Caucus in the United States House of Representatives, participates in the National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research,[9] and organizes visits to Capitol Hill for member institution representatives.
[5] To promote AAVMC advocacy initiatives, the organization launched a Public Policy Faculty Fellows Program, which brings faculty of member institutions to Washington D.C. to develop advocacy skills, learn about the federal legislative process, and explore veterinary public policy.
[16] The COE is recognized by the United States Department of Education and is re-certified as the accrediting body for colleges and schools of veterinary medicine every seven years.