College of Veterinary Medicine Receives Approval to Recruit First Class
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) will
accept its first cohort of students this fall. It has received the necessary approval,
which is a Letter of “Reasonable Assurance” from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s
Council on Education.
“We are thrilled to have received our Letter of Reasonable Assurance, which allows
us to begin recruiting and admitting students for entry this fall,” said Dr. Heidi
Banse, dean of the CVM.
“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.
As the first College of Veterinary Medicine in Arkansas, this step is a great opportunity
for students interested in furthering their education in the service of animals.
“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."
Banse said this brings A-State and future CVM students one step closer to the goal
of improving access to animal care in the state.
“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.
Students interested in applying for the DVM program can do so online at AState.edu/CVM/Apply.
To learn more about the application process, click here.
The building for the ninth academic college at A-State is well underway to be completed
before the first cohort of 120 students begin classes this fall. Banse said the state-of-the-art
facility is on track to open this summer.
“The CVM teaching building is on track for completion at the end of June, with planned
move-in in early July. Our teaching barns on the University Farm and Agricultural
Teaching and Research Center will be done in July,” she added.
The CVM building, located at 2517 Cherokee St., will be 56,000 square feet. The estimated
construction cost of the project is $33.2 million.
A ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the building is planned for this fall, ahead
of the start of classes.