Building a college from the ground up is a monumental task. From construction, to hiring, to student recruiting, to curriculum development, there are many moving parts.
While the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine is tucked in its temporary offices in the Hendrix Student Center, the faculty and staff have made major progress on mapping out what the first and second-year curriculum will look like. Led by the Director of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Sarah Swofford, the team is charting a course for the future of animal care in South Carolina and beyond.
“Building a curriculum is always hard,” said Swofford. “However, this is the most interesting and exciting curriculum development process that I’ve ever been involved with, and it’s such a pleasure to work with faculty who are so dedicated to both veterinary medicine and to the principles of good teaching.”
With walls covered in calendars and colorful Post-it notes, they’re designing Clemson’s veterinary medicine curriculum from scratch, guided by the American Association of Veterinary Medical College’s Competency-Based Veterinary Education framework. This will be a dynamic and hands-on guide for our first class of veterinarians through all four years of their Clemson journey of earning their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
“Designing this curriculum from scratch is both a profound responsibility and a rare privilege,” said Founding Dean, Steven Marks. “Every decision we make is rooted in collaboration, evidence and purpose, with a singular focus on preparing future veterinary clinicians to think critically, lead with compassion and serve a world that depends on their expertise. What you’ll see on these walls is more than planning; it is the foundation of a transformative educational journey, built intentionally, thoughtfully and together.”
It’s a simple visualization of something extraordinary: history in the making. Every note represents hours of collaboration, innovation and professional expertise. This represents the foundation of a program built to prepare the next generation of veterinarians to serve animals, communities and our world…coming together one colorful Post-it note at a time.
“These dedicated faculty members are planning courses that they’ll teach together as a team, and it’s been so much fun to hear them arrange who’s going to teach different parts of the content across courses,” said Swofford. “They are ‘biting at the bit’ to have our first class of students here, and so am I! It’s such a gift to be a part of building Clemson’s first veterinary curriculum, and I feel so honored to get to facilitate our faculty as they create this innovative educational experience for our students.”
Our course calendar and curriculum information is posted on our student website.
