Congrats, UQ!
The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science has earned accreditation from the AVMA Council on Education. The decision was announced after the October meeting of the COE along with the reaccreditation of Sydney, Auburn, Michigan and Calgary.
Ah, Auburn, my alma mater, proud proponent of the technical approach. And good ol' MSU, which to the best of my knowledge still sends students to see practice with the star of the not so "Incredible Dr Pol" show. And let's not overlook Calgary, first vet school in North America to implement a distributive model. No, Western didn't invent it. Yes, it's been evaluated and yes, it works quite well.
So, hmmm, another overseas vet school has been accredited. You know what, let's not have another "accreditation is evil" battle. Here's the bullet:
Do we need more schools? No. Do we need different schools? Damn skippy.
If the ones we have can't change fast enough, then new ones will join the market. This does not mean the newly accredited schools or the newly founded ones are profiteering pawns in some sinister political plot to ruin our profession. Accreditation just means a school delivers high quality education. That's all.
So RELAX. Take a pill, have a drink, go for a run, hug your wife, eat a sandwich, whatever.
Queenslanders, have two drinks and go for a swim*, you've earned it!
*Not in that order, and please adhere to all applicable local regulations regarding the consumption of alcohol. You look like good kids. Keep your heads on, eh?