Arkansas State University (A-State) has officially opened the state's first public veterinary school, marking a significant milestone for higher education and agriculture in Arkansas. The College of Veterinary Medicine held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, celebrating the launch of its inaugural class.
Classes for the new program began Wednesday for 120 students in the Class of 2030. The $33.2 million, 56,000-square-foot facility includes state-of-the-art classrooms, study areas, and laboratories designed for comprehensive veterinary education. It is one of only a few universities nationwide to host both a medical school and a veterinary school on the same campus.
The college will focus on training veterinarians for both large and small animal care, with a special emphasis on rural and agricultural livestock. According to university officials, this program is aimed at addressing critical veterinary shortages across the state, which is home to more than 12,500 farms.
Interim Chancellor Calvin White Jr. highlighted the importance of taking a measured approach to launching the program. "We understood that we had one chance to get this right," White said during the ceremony. He also described the college as "belonging to the people and the state of Arkansas," underscoring its role as a resource for the entire region.
Dean Heidi Banse noted substantial growth for the program over the last two years, with staffing increasing from just two team members to 19 faculty and staff. "This is a pivotal moment for veterinary education in Arkansas," Banse added.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who attended the event, emphasized the value of providing veterinary training within the state. "In years past, we would have seen those same students going off to Louisiana or Oklahoma and just hoping that they came back home when they finished," Sanders said. “That doesn’t have to happen anymore.”
One of the inaugural students is Katie Kasserman, a Paragould native who was the first to be admitted into the program. Kasserman plans to work with both large and small animals and said attending A-State allows her to pursue her career goals without leaving her home region.
The College of Veterinary Medicine represents a significant step forward in addressing Arkansas’s veterinary needs while providing students an opportunity to train locally for careers that directly benefit their own communities.