Gov. Abbott joins Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine for ribbon cutting

On a windy Friday afternoon, the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (TTUSVM) officially celebrated its opening and first class, which started in August, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and special appearance by Gov. Greg Abbott. Also in attendance were university, state and city officials with gold scissors in hand to help commemorate Texas’ second veterinary school.

After breaking ground in early 2020 on the facility, the veterinary school started classes in August 16 of last year with a class of 64 students.

With the addition of the Texas Tech veterinary school, Texas now has two schools of its type within the state, including Texas A&M. This opening marks the first new veterinary school to open in the state in over a century.

Friday's ceremony was celebrated not only with appearances by dignitaries and supporters from across Texas, but also on hand were Texas Tech mascots Raider Red and the Masked Rider, as the festivities kicked off with a unique harmonica rendered “Star-Spangled Banner.”

Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec spoke about the importance of adding another veterinary school to the state of Texas, especially in a region such as the Texas Panhandle.

“The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, like Texas Tech University, was established to fill a vital need,” Schovanec said. “As the first century of Texas Tech University comes to an end, we can be proud that the School of Veterinary Medicine strengthens the foundation and expands the capability of our university to serve West Texas, our state and the nation for the next 100 years and beyond. This school is about our future.”

Schovanec stated that the real impact of this school would be felt for generations to come. He said he was very grateful for all the support from the Amarillo community and across the state.

“The facts said that we need more veterinarians in this state, and these graduates will help to fill the special needs that are quite prevalent in the Panhandle and beyond,” Schovanec added.

Guy Loneragan, dean of the TTU School of Veterinary Medicine, talked about the historical importance of the new program and its possible impacts on rural areas in need of animal care.

“Being a part of something historical like this is a once-in-a-generation – maybe even a one-in-many-generations opportunity,” Loneragan said. “I now get to work with a community of students, staff and faculty that is second to none. I am so very thankful for what everyone has contributed to making this possible and the opportunity to be a part of our wonderful community.”

Loneragan said one of the issues with only having one veterinary school in the state at Texas A&M was that there was a great swath of the rural areas further from that region that still had a shortage of veterinarians, which will now be alleviated. He said that they hope to be able to increase class size over time to fulfill the need for veterinarians.

“We tried to look at the established need, how much will the need grow and what can we do to address the need,” Loneragan said. “We fully expect people that we do not even know yet will be shading themselves under the tree that we are planting now. This is a great step forward for people in this area.”

He said that when talk of the School of Veterinary Medicine first came to fruition, Amarillo and the Panhandle were a consensus choice for the program's location due to its impact on agriculture and livestock.

After his introduction, Gov. Abbott spoke about his mission as governor to create more Tier 1 universities, of which now Texas leads the nation with 11. He also talked about the state’s great need for veterinary care.

“This is a historic day for Texas Tech and everyone who loves animal agriculture,” Abbott said. “I am proud to stand by Texas Tech as you open this first-rate, state-of-the-art veterinary school.”

Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson, a big supporter of creating more educational and economic opportunities, spoke about the school's benefit to Amarillo and surrounding communities.

“Opening the vet school is like opening a wide gate to opportunity for students and our economy,” Nelson said. “The benefits will multiply across our state and its agriculture economy for decades to come.”

Nelson said that programs like this mean more opportunities for prospective students in the area and a greater field of veterinarians that could impact the shortage in an area that feeds a significant percentage of the nation. She said this helps tell the story of the great things that go on in the Texas Panhandle and its value to the nation.

“The economic and knowledge impact of bringing more people to the city for this university is a benefit that cannot be ignored," Nelson said.

Texas Tech is now one of 32 accredited veterinary schools in the U.S, with no state having more than two.

In Canyon, VERO (Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach), a partnership between the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and the West Texas A&M University Paul Engler College of Agriculture & Natural Sciences, was established in 2009.

According to projections by Mars Veterinary Health, with the current average of 2,600 graduates each year, the national veterinarian shortage by 2030 will be 15,000 personnel.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours of the TTUSVM campus were granted to guests to get an up-close and personal view of the state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Gov. Abbott joins Texas Tech veterinary school for ribbon cutting