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Business and Entrepreneurship

exterior shot of lefty's plaza

In accordance with the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, the college is committed to to support student and faculty entrepreneurship, to reduce student debt and to enable graduate financial independence. The Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship (CVBE) has completed its inaugural year, working to analyze, characterize and help formulate solutions for a profession in tremendous flux. During this time, the CVBE added two post-doctoral researchers and a research associate, further enhancing their ability to address rapidly emerging issues in the profession. The CVBE is committed to helping lead the charge by preparing veterinarians for a rapidly evolving marketplace, identifying trends early and helping effect real change through innovation and entrepreneurship.



The Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship logo lockup in black and Cornell red

After the launch of the Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship in early 2019, the college focused on four key subject areas to prepare students for practice ownership and other business realities: Education, economic research, entrepreneurship and intrepreneurship.

Among the ways the center has met these goals over the last year:

  • Collaborating with Foundation Course VII during the first and third year
  • Collaborating with three different fourth-year clinical rotations
  • Strengthening the relationship with our corporate partners: Encore Vet Group, Boehringer-Ingelheim, IDEXX, Nestle Purina and Zoetis
7
business distribution courses, totaling 8 credit hours
3
business collaborations with other distribution courses
2
special research projects

Animal Health Hackathon

113
students
21
teams
50
mentors
22
judges
13
speakers
$9K
in cash prizes awarded
The group "Beetle Bulb: Preventing invasive beetles from decimating domestic hives" won Best Market Ready Solution.

A screenshot from the presentation of the Most Innovative Solution, the group "Here for the Vibes: Creating bandages that help animals heal faster."


graduate taking veterinarian's oath
A student takes the Veterinarian's Oath at graduation. Photo: Carol Jennings/CVM

CVM Graduates Debt to Starting Salary Ratio

The following table and line chart display the mean self-reported educational debt ratio to private practice starting salary over a 10-year period. It includes those with no debt and excludes advanced education and training. The data is from an AVMA survey taken one month before graduation.

Year Ratio
2012 2.01
2013 1.90
2014 1.96
2015 1.77
2016 1.82
2017 1.59
2018 1.79
2019 1.36
2020 1.56
2021

1.27

The 2021 Annual Report debt to starting salary ratio line chart, reflecting the numbers described in the table to the left