ASU board gets update on vet school

Arkansas State University in Jonesboro broke ground last week on its College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and ASU System President Brendan Kelly recently told the board of trustees that when it’s completed, it will be one of 35 vet schools in the country.

“Higher education is supposed to make a positive impact on states and communities in people’s lives,” said Kelly, noting that the system is working on a new strategic plan. “That happened when we broke ground for the vet school at Arkansas State. That’s the type of problem-solving the ASU System should bring to this state. There are only 35 vet schools in the country.”

The A-State CVM is expected to welcome its first students in fall 2026, pending accreditation approval, and will be the first public vet school in Arkansas. The $33.2 million, 56,000-square-foot facility will feature laboratories, a surgical skills training area, flexible classrooms, study spaces, and around-the-clock clinical skills practice areas.

Trustee Price Gardner of Little Rock said he was the “sole surviving trustee” from when discussions about the vet school project first started in 2019.

“The future is bright,” Gardner said. “I’m excited about how it also fits with the vet tech program at ASU-Beebe. I appreciate the board for seeing the project through a number of variations to get it right. It’s a job well done by chancellor Todd Shields and his team to get it to this point.”

In other business, ASU-Mountain Home chancellor Bentley Wallace provided a campus update to the board and noted growth in its registered nurse program with more qualified students than available slots. He said the secondary education program, in cooperation with A-State, continues to shine for the campus with 25 teacher graduates last year.

A new art walk project in cooperation with the city includes 18 featured sculptures on permanent display thanks to $130,000 in private fund-raising support, Wallace said.

Board chair Steve Eddington of Benton welcomed the newest member of the board, Carole Farmer of Fayetteville, who was appointed by Gov. Sarah Sanders to a seven-year term.

Kelly introduced via videoconference A-State women’s basketball coach Destinee Rogers to congratulate her and the program on their Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship and first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The board also acknowledged the sudden death of longtime ASU-Beebe assistant professor of agriculture Chuck Wisdom Jr., 55, of Beebe with a moment of silence. He had taught students there since 1995 and managed the ASU-Beebe farm operations.

In other business, the board approved:

• Sale of the Henderson State University Hickory House in Arkadelphia for the appraised value of $240,000.
• ASU-Beebe’s new strategic plan titled “Strengthen. Expand. Elevate. (S.E.E.) the Vanguard Vision: 2025-2030.”
• A-State granting a permanent easement and a temporary easement located north of East Matthews and west of Red Wolf Boulevard to City Water and Light of Jonesboro for $11,528 for electric lines, a sewer line and a water line.
• The ASU System Office’s plan to offer an optional voluntary retirement program in fiscal 2025.
• Revisions to the ASU System Conflict of Interest or Conflict of Commitment Policy and the Travel Expense Reimbursement Policy.
• An A-State application for federal grant funding from the Transportation Alternatives Program for support of the Campus Loop Trail.