History was made when Texas Tech University breaks ground on school of veterinary medicine. The school, located at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, is expected to enroll its first class in Fall 2021. Administrators and officials from Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) gathered Thursday (Sept. 19) in an empty field just north of the Amarillo campus to break ground on the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, the latest milestone that will bring about the state of Texas’ first new school of veterinary medicine in more than 100 years. We are getting a new vet school for Texas, and this is exciting!
The turning of dirt symbolized the culmination of years of dedication and hard work that will result in the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, designed to address the imperative need for rural and large-animal veterinarians. Within two years, Texas Tech University expects to enroll its first class of veterinary students who will receive a cost-efficient education through an innovative, world-class curriculum designed to address the critical shortage of veterinarians that is threatening small, regional and agricultural communities throughout the state.
The groundbreaking is the year’s latest milestone, after state leaders recognized the need for a new school of veterinary medicine. In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law the state budget for the next two years, which appropriated $17.35 million for the School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo that will go toward operational needs in order to get the school up and running. The appropriation included language directing Texas Tech to move forward in establishing the school.
Donors and civic leaders have pledged more than $90 million toward infrastructure, construction and scholarships for the School of Veterinary Medicine on the site of TTUHSC in Amarillo, which made Thursday’s groundbreaking possible.
