Local News
A New Veterinary Program Coming to Utah
Students interested in pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine may now do so in Utah.
The Utah Legislature financed the new College of Veterinary Medicine at Utah State University this year, making it the state’s first institution of its sort.
“We are thankful to Governor Spencer Cox and the state Legislature for their support of the new USU College of Veterinary Medicine,” said USU President Noelle E. Cockett in a statement. “We also appreciate Washington State University’s collaboration with the combined doctorate of veterinary medicine degree during the previous ten years. It is now time for USU to address our state’s rising veterinarian need, especially in rural regions.”
Utah State University is currently a member of the Washington-Idaho-Montana-Utah Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine, which means students spend two years at the USU Logan campus before transferring to Pullman, Washington, to finish their final two years of education at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
The state’s new appropriation of $18 million in annual funding, in addition to other funding, will allow USU to open the state’s first four-year veterinary school and provide educational opportunities to Utahns who would otherwise be unable to pursue a doctorate in veterinary medicine due to program limitations.
“Utah Veterinary Medical Association members are thrilled that legislators have funded the new school and look forward to seeing how it develops because it will have a significant impact on veterinary medicine in the state,” said Dr. Jane Kelly, president of the Utah Veterinary Medical Association, in a statement.
“Our members will play an important role in the initiative by hosting fourth-year students and faculty members in their clinics and hospitals. The new school will be a valuable resource for veterinarians throughout the state, many of whom are overburdened by the large number of patients and customers they work so hard to serve.”
