Frequently Asked Questions
How long has this been in the planning stages, and what steps have been taken?
The new building was first proposed in 1998. The building was presented to and approved by the Board of Regents in 2005. A feasibility study was done to determine if we could expand at the existing site, and it was concluded that it was prudent to move to a site that would provide easier access for clients (especially those with large animals), pasture space for large animals, and room for future expansion. Program planning for academic and hospital needs and schematic design have been completed.
Where is the site and how was it chosen?
The site is approximately 150 acres at the corner of Barnett Shoals Rd. and College Station Rd. It was chosen to provide ease of access from the Athens bypass, particularly for clients with livestock trailers. It also is close enough to our current campus to allow faculty, staff, and students to travel back and forth using mass transit. Our Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center is already on College Station Rd. about half way to the new site. Presentations to the local community have been very positively received.
What will be included in this capital project?
The building will include a teaching hospital for large animals and small animals, teaching and support spaces for third and fourth year veterinary students, and departmental and faculty office spaces for clinical faculty members (large animal, small animal, and radiology). Roughly half of the College will be moving to this new facility.
What will be done with the space vacated in the current facility?
The teaching and student support spaces for first and second year students will be expanded to accommodate the increased enrollment. The vacated space also will be used to further enhance our research mission.
How will this positively impact the College, the profession, and the citizens of Georgia?
This building will allow us to increase our enrollment to 150 in the near future. The quantity and quality of our applicant pool and the job market for our graduates reflects a regional shortage of veterinarians, which easily justifies this increase. The building will be designed with the flexibility for future enrollment increases. Such planning will ensure that the state’s needs for veterinary services for animal care, public health, and food safety will be met in the future. The new hospital will allow the College to continue to provide state-of-the-art medical care for animals, and serve the needs of referring veterinarians, farmers, and companion animal owners in Georgia.
What has been done to ensure that the additional graduates will fill careers of greatest need?
The CVM has established the Food Animal Veterinary Incentive Program in partnership with the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences to enroll students who will pursue careers in rural practice. This program identifies five Georgia high school students per year who have strong backgrounds in animal agriculture. They are guaranteed admission to the CVM after successful completion of a degree in Animal and Dairy Science. The CVM has established DVM/MPH and DVM/PhD programs to provide training for graduates to enter careers in food safety, public health, and biomedical research.
Can the project be built in phases?
The large animal and small animal units of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital function together to maximize efficiency. Both units share expensive equipment such as radiology and surgical instruments. Hospital staff also work on both sides of the hospital throughout the day. It would cost $2.6 million for duplicated equipment, and $2 million in recurring annual expenses for additional personnel if the entire hospital was not built and occupied at the same time.
This page was last reviewed on December 1, 2011.
