This Friday, October 30, Patricia Lowrie retires after more than 30 years of remarkable efforts and outstanding accomplishments in the areas of diversity, pluralism, and social justice.

Lowrie, who served as senior advisor to the dean of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the MSU Women’s Resource Center, is a long-time champion of diversity and inclusion in the veterinary profession and in academic life overall. The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) recognized her lifelong work by naming its minority scholarship fund in her honor in 2012.

Lowrie has received many honors and awards for her advocacy, including the Outstanding Contribution to Minority Medical Education Award presented by the National Association of Minority Educators, MSU’s All University Excellence in Diversity Award, the AAVMC Iverson Bell Award, and appointment as senior fellow in the Office of Diversity Equity and Global Initiatives by the American Association of Colleges and Universities.

In addition, Lowrie has served on numerous local, state, and national committees relating to the recruitment, retention, and development of women and underrepresented individuals in higher education, and has devoted countless hours to the AAVMC, where she helped design and implement recruitment strategies. For many years, she provided visionary leadership to the AAVMC Multicultural Affairs Committee.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine has built a more inclusive environment with the guidance of Lowrie,” said John Baker, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “And, through her work on the Multicultural Affairs Committee of the AAVMC, she has influenced veterinary education across the country.”

The Vetward Bound program is one example of Lowrie’s innovative work. More than 30 years ago, she founded the program, which is designed to recruit and assist students underrepresented in veterinary medicine and interested in pursuing careers in the profession. She served as the principal investigator and project director for the program, which received federal funding for more than 30 years and has drawn students from across the country, including international students.

At the College of Veterinary Medicine and as director of the Women’s Resource Center, she worked to improve the way people relate to MSU and how the university is best served by all of the people who are part of it.

"Pat Lowrie is a very distinguished colleague who has made a lifetime commitment to the promotion of equity, access, and excellence for students, faculty, and professionals from diverse backgrounds,” says Judi Brown Clarke, PhD, former diversity director at the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action. “She has ‘walked the talk’ in all aspects of her career.”

Lowrie received a Lifetime Achievement during the All-University Excellence in Diversity Recognition and Awards in 2013.

The College wishes her all the best in her future endeavors.