The Pennyrile Area Development District (PeADD) Board of Directors received an update on efforts to establish a veterinary medicine school at Murray State University at their Monday meeting.
Dr. Brian Parr, Dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture at Murray State, says last year they received positive results from a vet school feasibility study and are now focused on legislation that will support the development. Parr says House Bill 153, sponsored by representatives Mary Beth Imes, Walker Thomas, Myron Dossett and many others, has been introduced and would allow Murray State to offer a veterinarian medicine doctoral degree program.
Then, in the state senate, Parr says Senators Jason Howell and Craig Richardson are sponsors of Senate Bill 113 and Senator Danny Carroll is sponsoring SB 80. Both bills outline the same request as HB 153.
Along with the support from lawmakers, Parr says Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell issued a letter of support for a vet school at Murray State.
Parr says he expects class sizes to consist of up to 70 students and have some of the lowest vet school tuition in the country. He also expects to the school to be financially self-sufficient.
Students at the prospective vet school would need work experience at vet clinics as they pursue their degrees. Parr says they issued a survey to licensed veterinarians across and found that around 200 vets would be willing to host clinical roles for students.
As they await state approval for the doctoral program, Parr says the architects are working on designing the school and they received $60 million following last year’s legislative session for construction.
The vet school will be located on Murray State’s West Farm and will be the first in the state.