A historic moment for the state was witnessed Aug. 11 at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro when the doors officially opened on Arkansas’ College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM).
“The future of veterinary medicine will be shaped by the students who study here, the faculty who teach here and the research that emerges from this college,” said Interim Chancellor Calvin White Jr.
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The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students come from many different backgrounds and from different places, said Dr. Heidi Banse, dean of the CVM.
“In that inaugural class, we have 46 Arkansans,” she said. “We have another 76 out of state that represent 35 states and two countries in our class”
The students start their first day of classes on Aug. 12.
“It takes a pioneer spirit when you are the inaugural class to join a new program and trust us to support you to become a competent veterinarian, and I am so grateful that they have trusted us with their futures,” Banse added.
“We are not just a group of students starting a new semester. We are the answer to a long-standing need, the realization of years of planning, and the very first veterinary class in the history of the state of Arkansas,” said Katie Kasserman of Paragould.
ASU System President Todd Shields said the opening is significant not only for A-State, but for the entire state.
“Today marks the realization of an ambitious idea that became possible through the dedication and perseverance of countless individuals,” Shields said. “Universities are extremely fortunate when they reach defining moments, and many never do. When bold aspirations become reality, this is one of those moments for Arkansas State University.”
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders attended the event and spoke of the ways veterinarians trained in Northeast Arkansas at A-State will benefit the entire state in the future.
“As we walk through this facility, we will not see just classrooms and laboratories, but we will see people,” said Bishop Robert G. Rudolph Jr., chair of the ASU System Board of Trustees. “I think it is about the young person somewhere in Arkansas who has always dreamed about becoming a veterinarian. Maybe they are from a small town. Maybe they are the first person in their family to pursue a professional degree. Maybe they wonder if there was a place for them. Now we can say there is a place for them here at Arkansas State University.”