The Arizona agriculture industry is excited to learn The UArizona College of Veterinary Medicine has accepted its first class of students for fall 2020. Arizona Farm Bureau continues to support the university’s effort to bring the first class to the new veterinary school and recalls the long and challenging process to see this happen.

When the effort to bring a vet school to the UArizona first began, Farm Bureau leaders spoke to its importance. “Large animal vets put in long, strenuous days and a lot of miles on their trucks,” said Arizona Farm Bureau President Stefanie Smallhouse, a rancher in southern Arizona. “Plus, we have a shortage of them in Arizona. This vet school will create a greater opportunity in Arizona to fill this need. It’s critical for food safety and animal care that ranchers have these vets available when needed. Additionally, Arizona’s environment and livestock require that we have vets familiar with our area.”

 

The college, which received approval from the American Veterinary Medical Association in October, is the first public veterinary medical program in Arizona.

 

For its first admissions cycle, the College of Veterinary Medicine received 518 applications and interviewed 244 applicants to fill 110 seats. The diverse group of accepted students includes 46 in-state and 64 nonresident students, ages 19 to 51, and 35% of them identify as an underrepresented minority. See this infographic for a full breakdown of the new class.

 

"This program is like no other in the nation, and students will receive one of the most innovative learning experiences possible, based on our team-based learning model over a rigorous three-year program," said Julie Funk, dean of the college. "The pandemic highlights the vital role of veterinarians in understanding emerging diseases, and this class will be immersed in the issues at the crossroads of animal and human health."

 

Students in the program will experience real-world learning in Arizona clinics that take care of companion animal and large animal species. With a focus on active learning and a team-based curriculum, the College of Veterinary Medicine will prepare students to be day-one-ready practitioners.

 

The 110 students will begin their journey in August, with an expected graduation date of 2023.

"We are thrilled to have both a high number of Arizona residents and students from across the United States joining our program," Funk said. "It is a proud day for the University of Arizona and the people who have helped us get to this day."