Innovation Touches China - Stories of Winners of the China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science and Technology Innovation Award

Author: Chinese Society of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: A Brief History of the College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University
I. Historical Development
The history of the College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, can be traced back to the veterinary medicine course first offered in 1905 during the establishment of the Agricultural Department of the Imperial University of Peking. In 1914, the Agricultural Department of the Imperial University of Peking was renamed the Beijing Agricultural College. In 1923, it was further renamed the National Peking Agricultural University, and in 1928, it became the Agricultural College of Peking University, all of which offered veterinary medicine courses. In 1949, it merged into Beijing Agricultural University. In 1947, the Agricultural College of Northern University was established in Jinjiayu, with a Department of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine and a Veterinary Medicine College. In July 1948, the Agricultural College of Northern University was renamed the Agricultural College of North China University. On October 9, 1949, the Veterinary Department of Beijing Agricultural University was officially established after the merger of the Agricultural College of Peking University, the Agricultural College of Tsinghua University, and the Agricultural College of North China University. Veterinary education has undergone several changes and faced many hardships, gradually growing and developing. Especially after the establishment of the Veterinary Department, it has reflected the leadership and care of the Party at different times and has been infused with the lifelong efforts of the older generation of scientists and the wisdom and strength of educators. Looking back at history, we clearly see that with the development and progress of society, people's understanding of veterinary education has greatly improved, and the important role of veterinary medicine has become increasingly prominent. However, many challenges still lie ahead on the path forward. In the new era, the tasks we face are even more arduous. To further advance the cause of veterinary medicine, we must continue to strive and make efforts.
II. College Overview
After more than half a century of development, the College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, adheres to the guiding principle of "Nurturing Outstanding Talent for the World and Solving Difficulties for the People's Livelihood," taking the cultivation of professional talent as its mission, high-tech as its guide, top-tier faculty as its guarantee, and traditional veterinary medicine as its foundation, steadily advancing toward the goal of building a first-class research-oriented veterinary college. The first-level discipline of veterinary medicine ranked th in the national assessment by the Ministry of Education in 2003. The second-level disciplines include Basic Veterinary Medicine (Anatomy and Embryology, Animal Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pathology), Preventive Veterinary Medicine (Microbiology and Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Laboratory Animal Science), and Clinical Veterinary Medicine (Veterinary Clinical Diagnostics, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine). In 2001, Basic Veterinary Medicine and Preventive Veterinary Medicine were recognized as national key disciplines by the Ministry of Education. Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health were added as new second-level disciplines for graduate education in 2002. The third-level disciplines of Animal Parasitology and Parasitology were twice recognized as national key disciplines in 1986 and 1991, respectively, and Animal Infectious Diseases were recognized as a key discipline by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1993.
The College of Veterinary Medicine is divided into the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, the Department of Preventive Medical Sciences, the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, and the Department of Continuing Education. It has two key national "Project 211" construction laboratories (Basic Veterinary Medicine and Preventive Veterinary Medicine), the National Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation Center, the National Veterinary Drug Residue Reference Laboratory, the National Animal Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory (including P3 Laboratory), the National Animal Parasite Laboratory, the Ministry of Agriculture's Veterinary Drug Safety Supervision and Testing Center (Beijing), the Ministry of Agriculture's Key Open Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, the Institute of Laboratory Animals,