Texas Tech Debuts School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo
Following nearly two years of construction, the Texas Tech University’s brand-new School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo, Texas, is seeing staff and faculty move in. The school has been operating out of interim offices of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, but as construction crews wrap up the west wing of the Amarillo Campus, the facility is ready to welcome its inaugural class of 64 students next week. Orientation will begin on Monday, Aug. 9, and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 22.
“This inaugural class are pioneers, and they’re excited to help write the page of history that’s occurring right now,” said Britt Conklin, Associate Dean for Clinical Programs at the School of Veterinary Medicine. “We’re excited to finally get them here. We’re excited to finally start this engine and go ahead and see where we end up.”
The School of Veterinary Medicine is comprised of two facilities: one will house the school’s academic headquarters in Northwest Amarillo. The other, located two miles northwest, will house infrastructure spaces; clinical, surgical and husbandry skills development; and housing for larger animals.
The new facility came with a $90-million construction budget raised largely from private individuals, groups, and foundations, as well as from the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. The facility covers a total of 210,000 square feet. The university partnered with contractor Western Builders of Amarillo, Inc., and design professionals from Kirksey.
“Today is such an exciting day,” said Guy Loneragan, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “I—we all—still have to pinch ourselves to know that this isn’t a dream. It is real. And it happened because so many made it so. In particular, the Amarillo community and surrounding region, and the AEDC rallied to make it a success. We are thrilled to call Amarillo home. Our incredible team has primarily come to Amarillo to be a part of the school. They have been welcomed with open arms.”
The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine was established in 2018 and granted the status of Provisional Accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) in March of this year. The current faculty and staff population of 57 is expected to grow to about 120, and the facilities contain space for up to 500 students, including graduate students and veterinary students.
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].