Acting separately, the two main competing university systems in Texas — Texas Tech University based in Lubbock, Texas, and Texas A&M University based in College Station, Texas — are both pursuing initiatives to bring additional veterinary medical education and training to the livestock-dense panhandle and high plains region of Texas. Texas Tech has been working on plans for a new veterinary college, while Texas A&M is creating an veterinary outreach center in the region.

The Texas Tech University System board of regents moved forward with Texas Tech University’s plans to establish a new School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo, Texas, by approving the new school, its degree plan and funding for preliminary designs for the school, according to an Aug. 15 announcement.

The approval was given during the board's meeting last week. During its last legislative session in 2017, the state legislature approved $4.17 million for a feasibility study to establish the state’s second school of veterinary medicine on the campus of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo.

“We appreciate the board’s continued commitment to the School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo and support of our vision to address a critical need in the region, state and nation,” Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec said. “I will continue to work closely with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center president Tedd Mitchell and our board as we move forward with this important initiative.”

Construction of two new veterinary school buildings is expected to cost $89 million, with an additional five-year operating budget cost of $89.82 million that includes classroom equipment, supplies and faculty pay, Texas Tech said. The board of regents approved the concept for the veterinary school and a proposed first-stage design budget of $1.37 million.

“The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the initiatives we are pursuing for the Texas Tech University System as we continue to build momentum heading into the upcoming legislative session,” Texas Tech University System chairman of the board of regents L. Frederick “Rick” Francis said. “This impactful initiative will further demonstrate the ability our institutions have to serve our state. We greatly value our partnership with Mayor Ginger Nelson and the Amarillo community, along with the agricultural community and the dedicated support we have received from our generous donors.”

According to Texas Tech, the plan approved by the regents would enroll 60 students per year for a desired enrollment of 240 students for the four-year program. The school also would serve 150-200 graduate students who are not seeking a doctorate in veterinary medicine, as well as an academic staff of 90.

Since Texas Tech began pursuing this initiative, the board of regents has approved six items in support of the School of Veterinary Medicine:

1. It unanimously approved the Texas Tech University System’s strategic priorities in August 2017, which included pursuing the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine.

2. In October 2017, the board unanimously approved Schovanec to execute consulting contracts related to analyzing feasibility and overall planning for a School of Veterinary Medicine. Texas Tech, followed by approving contracts with Alastair Cribb and John Thomson.

3. The board unanimously supported the preliminary stage I facilities feasibility study in December 2017. This was to establish a feasibility study for the veterinary school facility with a budget of $242,000 for programming, planning and probable cost budget.

4. Following the city of Amarillo’s commitment on May 8, the board unanimously authorized Schovanec to execute an agreement with the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. to fund up to $69 million for the School of Veterinary Medicine.

5. At this month’s meeting, the board of regents unanimously voted to authorize Schovanec to establish a stage I budget of $1.37 million to provide planning and design services for the facilities.

6. The board of regents also supported the authorization for Schovanec to establish the School of Veterinary Medicine and doctor of veterinary medicine degree program during the August meeting.

The Texas A&M University System currently operates the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM).

Meanwhile, the Texas A&M recently announced Aug. 13 that West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) and the Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach (VERO) Center received a four-year, $243,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture for the "Texas Panhandle & Plains Rural Veterinary Practice Revitalization" Program.

Project director Dee Griffin and co-director Dan Posey, both faculty of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, relocated to WTAMU to establish the partnership between CVM and WTAMU in Canyon, Texas.

The grant funding will be used to support the development and initiation of seven veterinary-centered programs, including: (1) developing fourth-year veterinary student rural clinical training externships; (2) developing summer working internships for Texas A&M CVM veterinary students finishing their first or second years; (3) supporting CVM veterinary food animal student mentoring for all students interested in a food animal practice; (4) supporting an annual rural veterinary practice and livestock operations tour for selected third-year CVM veterinary students; (5) aggressively recruiting qualified students with rural backgrounds; (6) recruiting outstanding rural students from 4-H and FFA programs to consider a veterinary career, and (7) practicing sustainability workshops for Texas panhandle and plains rural veterinarians, which will include training for mentoring veterinary students and improved community communication skills.

Recognizing the need to revitalize veterinary service to animal agriculture in the panhandle and plains region’s rural communities, the Texas A&M CVM created the VERO partnership with WTAMU.

“The revitalization of veterinary health care in the Texas panhandle and high plains regions has been on the agenda of west Texas citizens for some time,” Dr. Eleanor M. Green, the Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M CVM, said. “Their concern has matched our recognition of the need to further support veterinary health care in the beef epicenter of the nation and in surrounding rural communities in a way that has the potential to be a national model.”