The decade of the 70’s marked a period of growth and maturation for ACLAM.  Membership numbers were increasing and more and more committees were being appointed.  Income was increasing and the duties of the Secretary-Treasurer were becoming more time consuming.  Many of the programs and activities which continued well into the 2000’s were initiated in the 1970’s

There was much attention to the credentials for a candidate to be eligible to take the certifying exam.  In 1973 a Credentials Committee was appointed.  The Committee expressed that there was a lack of uniform criteria to evaluate programs adequate to meet the College’s requirements. They urged more specific guidelines for training, experience, publication and possible formal accreditation of training programs.  Much discussion centered on what constituted qualified authorship.  It was recommended and approved that the candidate have major input to an article on some phase of laboratory animal medicine and that it be accepted for publication in a referred journal.  Training and experience requirements were defined as formal training of 2 or 3 years plus one or two years experience respectively, or a  PhD or MS plus 4 or 5 years experience respectively, or six years of relevant experience.

At the start of the 1970’s the examination consisted of three parts; written, practical and oral.  There was concern about the oral examination.  It was a way to involve more Diplomates in the certification process.  It could eliminate unsuitable candidates.  On the other hand it was difficult to administer logistically and there was concern it might be viewed as subjective.  A decision was make to eliminate the oral exam.  The written and practical were deemed adequate to judge competence and the inclusion of references as part of the credentialing process addressed other concerns.   The exam was enhanced by the submission of questions and slides by Diplomates.

The examination was evaluated through several means.  An exam analysis by a professional group was done for a number of years.  An exam review open to all Diplomates was initiated.  This served as a continuing education experience for those sitting in on the review and provided feedback to the Examination Committee on the quality and relevance of questions used. 

The ACLAM textbook endeavor started in the 1970’s.  The first textbook was The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit. As was the case with a number of the early texts it was based on a symposium on this topic presented at a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). The second text was The Biology of the Guinea Pig. Other texts published in the 70’s were Spontaneous Animal Models of Human Disease, Volumes I  and II, The Laboratory Rat, Volume I: Biology and Diseases. Work progressed on The Laboratory Rat, Volume II: Research Applications and a four volume series on the mouse.  Royalties from the sales of texts provided significant income for the College to use in program service activities. 

In cooperation with Washington State University and later the University of Washington the College co-sponsored the development of a series of audio-tutorial programs.  The initial format was slide-audiotape-text with other formats subsequently adopted.  These programs were designed to instruct veterinary and other biomedical scientists on topics of laboratory animal science and medicine.  In 1976 two of the top three awards of the Student AVMA Audio-tutorial Excellence Program went to ACLAM.  By the end of the decade gross sales of audio-tutorial materials totaled about $50,000. 

The first ACLAM Forum was held in 1975.  It was on the topic of continuing education and raised the issue of recertification of Diplomates.  Forums were to provide continuing education and opportunity for discussion among members.  Through 2007 twenty-six Forums have been held.  First Forums were limited to ACLAM Diplomates, but later became open to all interested in the topic.  Through 1980 Forums were held in conjunction with AALAS annual meetings, but since they have been free standing meetings. 

The College remained active in presenting scientific programs at meetings of the AALAS, the   AVMA and other organizations.  One such program was on Environmental Factors Influencing Biomedical Research presented to the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in 1975.

In 1976 a joint liaison committee with ASLAP was appointed with the charge of seeking cooperation between the organizations.  Membership in both organizations totaled nearly 500 individuals, all veterinarians associated in some way with laboratory animal medicine.  Duplicate membership was held by 112 veterinarians.  Objectives of both organizations include promotion and dissemination of information on educational and research programs in laboratory animal or comparative medicine.  The principle difference between the two organizations is that ACLAM has the responsibility for examination and certification of qualified individuals in the specialty of laboratory animal medicine whereas ASLAP is open to all interested veterinarians and represents the field in the AVMA House of Delegates.  The conclusion was that the organizations should remain separate, but continue to cooperate on mutual goals such as joint sponsorship of educational programs at AVMA and AALAS meetings.  ACLAM and ASLAP also cooperated in conducting periodic salary/economic surveys of laboratory animal veterinarians.

The ACLAM Board considered a number of important matters in the 1970’s including managing ACLAM finances, deciding to publish a pictorial directory, adopting a logo designed by Dr. Henry Foster’s staff at Charles River Laboratories, and approval of Bert Hill as the first non-veterinary Honorary Diplomate.  Mr. Hill was the Executive Secretary of ILAR of the National Research Council.