Tech Moo-ving Forward with Vet School

By Callie Yardley

Plans to open a veterinarian school at the Amarillo branch of the Texas Tech University Health Science Center have become more concrete with the announcement of  a target completion date: 2019.

Guy Loneragan, a professor of food safety and public health and a veterinarian, said veterinarians have been an integral part of Texas history, and the need for them has always been here.

The veterinary school will focus on rural areas needs. Elizabeth Sewell/The Hub@TTU

The veterinary school will focus on rural areas’ needs. Elizabeth Sewell/The Hub@TTU

“They contribute to the vibrancy of communities and help protect our livestock industries,” Loneragan said. “However, it has been clear for decades that there is a shortage of veterinarians serving rural America. This threatens the fabric of rural communities and the economic vitality of our state. “

As the shortage worsened over time, the need for a veterinary school in the Panhandle became increasingly apparent

“It is important to understand that across the country, there is not really a shortage of total veterinarians,” Loneragan said. “The key here is that the vast majority want to work in urban centers and there is a shortage willing to make a home out of these centers.”

John Key, a veterinarian at Key Animal Clinic, agreed.

“In the rural areas, we’re short on vets for sure,” Key said. “Some of the city areas, there’s not such a big shortage, but there is more and more demand being created.”

Loneragan said the Amarillo location was chosen to position the school to serve rural communities. Home to many established feedlots and dairy businesses, Amarillo is at the heart of the country’s cattle production.

“It addresses the needs of the community and some vets will specialize in livestock production,” Loneragan said. “This latter need is of critical importance to the economic well-being of Texas and our surrounding states.”

Reagan Pierce, an animal science major from Lubbock who plans on attending veterinary school after graduation, said a veterinary school would be good for Texas Tech.

“Texas needs more than one vet school so it’s smart of Tech to fill that need,” Pierce said. “They should’ve done it a lot sooner.”

Pierce said she would like to focus on exotic animals but would be willing to work with domestic animals as well. Since the new veterinary school is expected to focus on rural communities and their needs, Pierce is not sure if the program would be the best fit for her.

Pierce said the rural focus might turn some but not most people away from applying.

“It seems like almost everyone in animal science at Tech is interested in production, so that’s probably a plus for them,” she said.

For Pierce, however, the new school will come too late. She is planning to apply to the only veterinary school currently in Texas, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Loneragan said he has seen and heard much enthusiasm, from across the state, for the new vet school.

“It is a great time to be a part of Texas Tech,” Loneragan said. “The excitement from everyone is infectious.”

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