Ontario Veterinary College

Ontario Veterinary College. OVC celebrated 150 years in 2012. , The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is a world leader in veterinary education, research and health care, integrating the health of animals, people and the environment., Founded in 1862, OVC initially focused on the health of horses that played a vital role in North America's economy. In 1908, the Ontario Department of Agriculture assumed responsibility for funding the College and replaced the Veterinary Surgeon diploma with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) degree., With automobiles rapidly replacing the horse, OVC moved to Guelph in 1922 to better serve Ontario's growing livestock industry. The new college building, now OVCs iconic face, was hailed as the most modern facility of its kind on the continent., OVC was affiliated with the University of Toronto until 1964, when OVC became one of the founding colleges of the University of Guelph., The Colleges evolution has reflected changes in society: an ongoing focus on horses and food animals, to advancing the health of companion animals, to an intensified emphasis on ecosystem approaches to the health of all species, including humans., OVC's motto, Opus veterinum civibus, means: "The craft of the veterinarian is for the good of the nation.", In 1862, Andrew Smith, a recent graduate of the Edinburgh Veterinary School, established Canadas first veterinary school in Toronto at the request of the Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada. Beginning as a series of lectures that soon expanded into a regular course, Smith's school was granted an official charter by the government and its first three graduates were presented with diplomas in 1866., The schools name was changed to the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 1869. That year, the Toronto Globe praised the OVC, noting that "it is a most valuable institution, and calculated to be of increasing importance and service to the country.”, For most of its first century, OVC was the only veterinary school serving English-speaking Canada. Following the Second World War, enrolment increased dramatically and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree was introduced., In 1953, the Farm Service was established and by the late 1950s, aseptic surgery and anesthesia were the norm thanks in part to innovators at OVC., The following decades saw new teaching approaches including a teaching hospital program and a new clinically-applied graduate degree, the DVSc. The college continues to emphasize student learning with the opening of the Lifetime Learning Centre, the implementation of a new curriculum with greater emphasis on professional competencies and communication skills, and an enhancement in primary care learning opportunties., In the first decade of the 21st century, new programs and facilities augment OVCs leadership in research, including new biomedical laboratories: the U of G Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses; the U of G Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation and the Mona Campbell Centre for Animal Cancer. Far into the future, OVC will continue to be a "most valuable institution," improving the lives of animals and people throughout the world. ,