Thanks to a commitment made by the Utah Legislature, ongoing state funding has been provided to Utah State University. The college plans on creating a new College of Veterinary Medicine to ease the shortage in veterinarians throughout the state.
In a statement made by USU President Noelle Cocket, the school showed gratitude towards Gov. Spencer Cox and the state legislature for their support towards the new vet school. Cockett also made it clear that after ten years of partnering with Washington State University over the joint Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, USU will address the shortage of growing veterinarians throughout the state.
As of now, USU is part of the Washington-Idaho-Montana-Utah Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine. Each year, 30 students are admitted into the program and at least 20 of those students need to be Utah residents. Students who complete their first two years of study at the Logan campus have been required to move to Pullman, Washington to complete their final two years of training in veterinary medicine.
But thanks to the $18 million in annual funding, USU is now able to offer the first four-year veterinary school in the state, meaning that students can complete their entire education without needing to move across states.
Plans for a new research and teaching facility dedicated to veterinary medicine are scheduled to be completed in 2025.
