First vet school in state can recruit students

The state of Arkansas is on the verge of having its first college of veterinary science.

Arkansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has received “Reasonable Assurance” from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education which means it can now recruit students for its fall class, Dr. Heidi Banse, dean of the CVM, told Talk Business & Politics.

“We are thrilled to have received our Letter of Reasonable Assurance, which allows us to begin recruiting and admitting students for entry this fall,” she said.

Work on the facilities that will house the CVM is rapidly coming to a close, she said. Construction on the 56,000 square foot facility is expected to be completed in June and the faculty and staff will move into the building in July. The project will cost $33.2 million.

“This is a historic achievement for Arkansas State University and for the state of Arkansas,” said Chancellor Todd Shields. “Our College of Veterinary Medicine will open new doors for students while strengthening the future of animal health, agriculture and rural communities across the Mid-South.”

Lyon College is set to open a second college of veterinary science next year, the school told TB&P. It will have an accreditation visit in August.

“Today represents the culmination of years of careful planning and an extraordinary amount of work behind the scenes. This college reflects a bold and strategic investment by Arkansas State in the future of our university and the state of Arkansas, transforming vision into a historic reality,” said Dr. Calvin White Jr., provost and executive vice chancellor.

White added, “I want to commend Dr. Heidi Banse, Dr. Len Frey, and the entire leadership team of the College of Veterinary Medicine for guiding Arkansas State through a rigorous accreditation process.”

The DVM program will be a four-year degree, with three years spent primarily on campus in a competency-based curriculum and one year of clinical training in veterinary practices across Arkansas and beyond. The first class will complete the program in 2030. The initial class will have 120 students.

“Once students enter our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program in the fall, we will be granted provisional accreditation,” Banse continued. “This allows our students to graduate with the same rights and privileges to practice veterinary medicine as students from fully accredited veterinary colleges.”

The DVM program will be a four-year degree, with three years spent primarily on campus in a competency-based curriculum and one year of clinical training in veterinary practices across Arkansas and beyond. The first class will complete the program in 2030.

“Upon graduation of our first class and confirmation of continued compliance with accreditation standards, we will be fully accredited and enter into an every seven-year re-accreditation cycle,” Banse said.