College of Veterinary Medicine to Open After Years of Planning, Welcoming First Class
JONESBORO – The College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at Arkansas State University
is crossing another milestone as it prepares to open its doors and welcome the first
class of students next month.
“We are delighted to welcome our inaugural class to campus for orientation starting
Thursday, Aug. 6, with class beginning Wednesday, Aug. 12,” said Dr. Heidi Banse,
dean of the CVM.
Ahead of the start of classes, a grand opening and ribbon-cutting will be held for
the much-anticipated building. The event will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug.
11. In attendance will be members of the CVM team, ASU System President Todd Shields,
interim Chancellor Calvin White Jr., and dignitaries and visitors.
"This is a transformational day for Arkansas State University. After years of planning
and preparation, we are welcoming students into a program that will strengthen our
university, expand opportunities for Arkansans and help address a critical workforce
need across our state and region,” White said.
This is a defining moment for the CVM, following years of dreaming and planning, as
it becomes a reality. With this watershed moment, A-State is progressing into a new
era of educational excellence, community involvement, and future growth.
Shields has been working on this project since joining the university as A-State chancellor
in 2022.
“What makes this accomplishment especially meaningful is that every decision was made
with the goal of creating a program that serves students, meets workforce needs and
highlights the unique strengths of Arkansas State University,” said Shields.
Dr. Len Frey, senior associate dean for the CVM, has been part of this project for
nearly a decade.
“During the time in which I have been affiliated with A-State, the creation of the
College of Veterinary Medicine is the single most significant strategic initiative
that Arkansas State University has undertaken,” added Frey, senior adviser for strategic
initiatives. “It is one of the most entrepreneurial strategic decisions we have ever
made as an institution.”
Banse said the CVM team is ready to get started in educating their first class of
students. The final details of the building are currently being completed and the
CVM team will move into the space ahead of the grand opening.
Barns built for the CVM were completed this summer.
“We are thrilled with our progress to date in development of our program and are looking
forward to training students to be practice-ready and contribute to the veterinary
workforce in Arkansas, the Mid-South and beyond,” Banse said. “Our amazing team has
been working tirelessly over the past two years to prepare our programs and our curriculum
to be ready for our current and future students.”
They have spent the past several years building a solid foundation for their competency-based
veterinary education model to prepare future Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students
to be quality-trained professionals once they graduate. Part of that is providing
superior educational opportunities.
“We will have 19 faculty members on-site to deliver our year-one curriculum, and another
15 faculty will be hired over the next 12 months,” Banse added. “Our ambulatory service
continues to grow, providing large animal services to the community. We look forward
to developing additional clinical services to support the community as we move forward.”
The CVM building is 56,000 square feet of custom-built space, intentionally constructed
to support hands-on student learning in a competency-based veterinary curriculum.