Navigating Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine by 
Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future by
This publication describes actions that every type of higher education institution can take to recognize and support inclusive excellence among faculty and build the capacity of women faculty of color to advance in their careers and contribute to higher education reform efforts. The report turns a spotlight on the work of HBCUs as leaders in the education and graduation of STEM students, focusing in particular on the underexplored role of STEM women faculty of color, both in supporting student success in STEM fields and, over time, in driving campus changes that can make any college more effective in educating all students.
Patricia (Pat) M. Lowrie is the director of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at Michigan State University and also serves as the assistant to the dean in the College of Veterinary Medicine. As WRC director, she leads a staff in developing and implementing educational, leadership, social justice, and advocacy programs. The Center serves as a focus for coordinating resources and referrals that catalyze institutional change through understanding and valuing difference and empowering faculty, students, and staff to be effective change agents.
In veterinary medicine, Pat’s role is to enhance and increase educational and professional opportunities for underrepresented groups in the health professions. As part of a collaborative broad-based university team, she also advises university leadership on effective methods to engage various constituent groups in synergistic activity that moves beyond anti-discrimination teachings and begins to infuse social justice education more comprehensively into the institution. This team collectively addresses the issues of individuals who are members of oppressed groups, including persons with disabilities and persons who are historically victims of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.
A graduate of Howard University, she is the recipient of several awards, including the University Diversity Award and the All-University Distinguished Academic Staff Award. Pat chairs the executive committee of Campus Women Lead, an affiliate of AAC&U’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Global Initiatives and the Project on the Status and Education of Women.