A-State to break ground on vet school facility

Arkansas State University will break ground March 12 on its new College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) facility. The building will be located near the A-State College of Agriculture on the Jonesboro campus, said Dr. Heidi Cox Banse, dean of the new college.

The school cannot recruit students until the accreditation process is complete, said Banse. Design and construction of the College of Veterinary Medicine facility is estimated at $33.2 million. It will be the second vet college in the state. Lyon College is slated to open one in fall 2026 in Cabot.

“We’re making very good progress,” Banse said. “We are on track to welcome our first class in the fall of 2026.”

The System Board of Trustees approved a $30.6 million bond issue in December to finance construction for the new college facility. The university plans to finance the building through the issuance of taxable Student Fee Revenue Bonds and use of institutional reserve funds. Tuition and fees from CVM students will ultimately fund debt service for the construction.

Annual tuition for Arkansas residents has been proposed at $17,000 per semester, with out-of-state student cost at $27,000 per semester. The average annual cost of tuition for in-state doctorates of veterinary medicine (DVM) students according to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges was $34,289 per academic year for residents and $55,158 for non-residents in 2022-23.

School officials hope to have 120 students in the initial class. About 40 faculty and staff will be employed in the new school.

Nationwide, there is a growing shortage of DVMs to fill a growing demand for services. In Arkansas, the number of households with pets has reached almost 1 million. Meanwhile, a generation of companion animal care veterinarians who have served those families are reaching, and many beyond, retirement age. The more than 12,500 farms across the state have a growing need for vet services, as well as Arkansas’ expanding food production industry.