History and contextualization

The Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) was founded in 1908 as Agricultural School of Lavras, and College of Agriculture of Lavras (ESAL) after that, under the lemma of the Gammon Institute: “Dedicated to the glory of God and to human progress.” The institution has been having an agricultural characteristic ever since. Over more than a century of existence, the Federal University of Lavras was consolidated for being an extension pioneer – it promoted the First National Corn Exhibition and the First Agriculture and Cattle Breeding Exposition of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Besides, it has introduced the first air silo for grain storage in the State and also one of the first farm tractors to plow Brazilian lands. It has edited the first magazine directed to rural producers of Minas Gerais, since it generates extraordinary scientific and technological knowledge, but above all, for offering education with quality for its students, who in addition to being the reason why the institution exists, have become important actors of the recognized excellence of the University over the years.
When looking at the timeline, we can see that the 40-year history of success of the Graduate Programs in Specialized Fields demonstrates that ESAL was not just another one among pioneering institutions in creating Master’s and Doctorate programs in agricultural and administrative sciences. Wisely, the institution built and knew how to keep the commitment with pursuit of academic quality and with full development of human beings. Since its idealization and foundation, the Graduate Programs in Specialized Fields based their actions on moral and solid principles and on values that are remembered at every moment. Among the values shared by our academic community since the creation of ESAL at the beginning of the last century, we highlight devotion to knowledge, work ethics, scientific rigor, respect for human beings, and guidance for the future.
Always aiming at excellence and quality, the College of Agriculture of Lavras undertook a daring teaching training plan, anticipating the need to offer high-level education. Furthermore, there was the ever-growing demand for professionals with high expertise, due to the fast economic growth that Brazil experienced in the 1970s. For believing that sustainable development always requires technical expertise and technological innovation, ESAL/UFLA invested heavily in graduate programs, which fabulous growth has always been based on satisfactory conditions of human resources and infrastructure.
The seed of graduate programs was planted in 1972, when Professor Fábio Pereira Cartaxo, the dean of ESAL, formed a commission to study the implementation feasibility of graduate programs. After careful study, the commission issued a favorable opinion and, later that year, the ESAL Coordination of Graduate Programs was created. In the first semester of 1975, the first ESAL Graduate Programs in Specialized Fields were established: the Master’s degree in Agronomy centered in Phytotechny and the Master’s degree in Rural Administration.
Seeking to fill a gap in the graduate courses of the UFLA, aiming to contribute to research and people professional training in the region, which has a strong agricultural character, on February 10, 2004, the Scientific Technical Council (CTC) from the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) recommended UFLA to offer the graduate program in VETERINARY SCIENCES (PPGCV), initially only with the Master’s degree, maintained by a group of eight professors around only two lines of research: 1) Genetics, Reproduction and Sanity of Aquatic Animals; and 2) Animal Production Medicine. The creation of this program met the demands for food-production animals’ care, since the South region of Minas Gerais is a reference in milk production, in addition to cover other cattle raising ways, which also has a significant economic impact on the region. In addition, Lavras is a municipality located in a region of large rivers and lakes, which allowed advances in aquaculture areas in the south of the state. In this context, over the years, several professors and students have already been prizewinners and are currently references in international partnerships.
With the expansion of Brazilian Federal Universities through the REUNI program, new professors were hired for this program, in order to meet the demand of graduated professionals who completed the undergraduate programs of UFLA and of other institutions as well. Currently, the program includes five lines of research from different areas of knowledge: 1) Veterinary Clinic, Surgery and Pathology; 2) Animal Physiology and Metabolism; 3) Animal Production and Reproduction; 4) Animal Sanity and Public Health; 5) Genetics, Production and Reproduction of Aquatic Animals. All those gains were results of the program expansion to different areas of knowledge and of participation of professors from different areas, therefore stimulating new interest in the students and helping the program to consolidate more and more its objectives in teaching, research and extension. Thus, in the construction of this history of success, the work of some professors was fundamental as well as leadership, ability to overcome challenges and administrative competence.

Objectives

The Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences of the Federal University of Lavras aims at the training of professionals to work with research, teaching and extension at public institutions, as well as at the private sector, through a solid scientific training consonant with new advances in research and innovation, and also through Veterinary Medicine entrepreneurship, more specifically in the following areas: animal production and reproduction; animal physiology and metabolism; animal sanity and public health; veterinary clinic, surgery and pathology; genetics, reproduction and sanity of aquatic animals, always seeking to integrate different areas of knowledge. Therefore, as observant of social demands, the program is committed to identify priorities for regional and national development, generating knowledge that aims to contribute to solution of major problems of the region in the influence area of the program, although with innovation and scientific impact in international level.