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UMES advances three‑year veterinary program plans and uses HBCU settlement funds for scholarships and student supports
Summary
University of Maryland Eastern Shore President Heidi M. Anderson told legislators the school is using HBCU settlement funds for scholarships, retention staff and program development while progressing on accreditation for a three‑year distributed Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program with a rural and interdisciplinary focus.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore President Heidi M. Anderson told the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee UMES is directing HBCU settlement funds toward scholarships, enhanced student‑success staffing and development of workforce‑aligned degree programs, including a proposed Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program.
DLS analyst Kelly Norton reviewed enrollment and retention data and said UMES’s undergraduate enrollment rose by about 199 students from fall 2023 to fall 2024, and that the institution added approximately 3,400 applications in fiscal 2024. Norton also noted increases in merit scholarships and raised questions about the shift in scholarship composition and recent vacancy levels reported by the university.
Anderson described how UMES has used settlement funds for first‑year scholarships, retention specialists and new high‑demand degree programs. She said the proposed DVM has cleared internal and state approval steps and is in the multi‑phase accreditation process with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education. Anderson said the UMES model will be unique in Maryland for three features: a three‑year distributed clinical model (instead of four years), an emphasis on rural practice, and an interdisciplinary One Health focus leveraging UMES’s existing health professional programs.
Anderson said private and industry partners have expressed interest: she cited an MOU with Mars Veterinary Health offering clinical rotation sites and an agreement with IDEXX for virtual faculty and diagnostic support. The university noted that the DVM program is intended to reduce student debt by shortening time‑to‑degree and to place graduates faster into veterinary workforce shortages.
Norton noted UMES’s FY26 allowance includes salary adjustments and $9.0 million in HBCU settlement funds; UMES said it will cover a proposed 5% cut by reducing part‑time personnel, not filling vacancies and using facility renewal funds, while protecting students. Norton and Anderson also discussed high vacancy counts and recruitment challenges in Somerset County.
The panel asked about animal types and clinical training scope; Anderson said the program will include livestock, equine and other species and emphasized rural practitioner training.
