East Little Rock Times

A-State Vets for Arkansas was the message from Chancellor Todd Shields as Arkansas State University provided an update on its plans to open its College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM).The university would be the sole operator of its new CVM, deciding after a careful period of study to not partner with any outside groups. Starting the process with internal discussions in 2019 on a CVM to complement existing graduate programs, Arkansas State initially considered a public-private partnership agreement to launch a veterinary school. Over the recent months of study, the most cost-efficient pathway in the long run, both for the university and future students, is for A-State to operate internally.

“When I interviewed for the chancellor’s position, I made it very clear that this was a top priority of mine, and I believe it is also a priority of our faculty, our community and for the people of Arkansas,” Chancellor Shields said. “It gives me great pleasure to announce we will be filing our Letter of Intent and seeking Board of Trustees approval to create our own College of Veterinary Medicine. This will be an A-State degree with A-State faculty and facilities and we are committed to providing more veterinarians to meet the needs of our state.”

As a Carnegie 2 Research university with a deep investment in biosciences including the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State also brings its Agricultural Research and Teaching Farm in Jonesboro along with other agricultural research stations as primary assets to the start of the veterinary program. Arkansas State’s status as a national doctoral-granting institution with the state’s largest graduate enrollment is another plus.“We have the opportunity to build the only university location in Arkansas with a medical school, a veterinary school and a long-standing commitment to research,” Shields said. “There is a chance for great cross-disciplinary development.”“This has been a topic of discussion for three years, but as our discussions and due diligence progressed, our commitment became even stronger,” ASU System President Charles L. Welch said. “Our ASU System Board of Trustees has been enthusiastic about this possibility from the beginning.”Both Shields and Welch acknowledged that the pandemic paused part of the planning process, but now that officials have decided to formally proceed, the university will begin working toward the goal of new students soon.“We have many of our approvals already in place, and by adopting a plan for shared use of current facility assets, we would like to welcome our first class at the earliest possible date,” Shields said.Interim Provost Len Frey detailed the timeline ahead..

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