The University of Arizona has hit a brick wall in its efforts to establish a veterinary school in Oro Valley, a project that recently received an $8 million infusion from state taxpayers.
The American Veterinary Medical Association, which accredits veterinary schools, says the UA proposal has substantial flaws that indicate it isn't ready yet to take the first step toward accreditation.
The ruling, which the UA plans to fight at a potential cost of $10,000, would put the project at least a year behind schedule. Once turned down, a school must wait 12 months before restarting its accreditation effort.
The association's Council on Education conducted a site visit and reviewed documentation submitted by the UA to support its request. In April, the council delayed its decision to obtain more information from the university.
The council cited five areas of deficiency in rejecting the UAs application. They include lack of proof of the veterinary school's long-term financial viability, inadequate staffing and recruiting plans, lack of a high-quality research program and unanswered questions around student access to learning opportunities.
"The council found that the school's plan, when implemented, will not permit the school to be in compliance" with accreditation standards, the notification letter said.
The UA says the information provided so far to the accreditor should have been enough to merit initial approval. Officials will make that argument on appeal, a UA news release said.
"The UA has provided a detailed plan for a novel year-round veterinary medical program that will provide a faster path to a DVM degree for less money" President Ann Weaver Hart said in a statement.
"We will demonstrate that we have addressed all of their concerns,"she said of the accreditor. "We are is absolutely committed to earning AVMA accreditation."
The UA had A 30-day window in which to appeal and waited until a few days before the deadline to do so. The appeal letter is dated Aug. 8.
The university now has 60 days in which to resubmit documentation and it must also provide a $10,000 deposit to cover the appeal costs.
The accreditor then has 120 days to schedule the hearing, to be held in Illinois where the group is based.
When the UA announced the Oro Valley site, near North Oracle Road and North First Avenue, at a news conference last fall, officials said they hoped to obtain accreditation in 2016.
Arizona's recent state budget provided the UA with $8 million to renovate the 33,000-square-foot Oro Valley site to add classrooms, laboratories and veterinary surgical suites. The work has already begun, the news release said.
