Although Murray State University fell short in its bid to receive legislative authorization for a School of Veterinary Medicine in Kentucky this year, its president, Dr. Bob Jackson, expressed optimism a legislature-backed independent study may open avenues in 2025.
"We moved the football down the field considerably," Jackson said in a post-legislative session interview with BloodHorse April 16.
A bill for a veterinary school at Murray State rolled through the state House of Representatives by a wide margin. It then stalled in the Senate Education Committee without a vote amid pushback about its distributive model. Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association chair Dr. Jim Weber expressed concerns to the Senate Education Committee about such a format.
Had the bill been passed by the Senate and signed by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, it would have allowed Murray State to offer doctoral degrees required to become licensed in veterinary medicine. No university in Kentucky currently has a veterinary school.
Without such a program, Kentucky has for years funded seats for its residents at a traditionally modeled Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine program through a regional contract. Auburn's program and a smaller one at Tuskegee University provide 41 seats for Kentucky students.
Murray State claims its proposed three-year school in Kentucky would not impact the Regional Contract Agreement with Auburn and Tuskegee.
Adding more schooling opportunities is considered one way to address the need for more veterinarians, particularly those working with large animals, including horses. Jackson said rural communities are most impacted by a shortage.
Should Murray State receive positive reports from the independent study into its planned school, and legislative backing is received in 2025, its school could be operational in about three years after the bill's passage, Jackson said. He estimated a year of design and two years to build a planned $89 million facility.
Jackson expressed appreciation for the state budget's appropriation of $60 million for a new veterinary sciences building within the University's Hutson School of Agriculture to enhance existing and future programs in veterinary sciences at Murray State. He noted that the school has "more pre-vet students and vet tech students than any other college or university in Kentucky."
A veterinary school at Murray State would be intended to be on the smaller end compared to those around the country, with approximately 50-70 students a year.
Jackson said that only "half of our students who are qualified and able to go to a vet school (elsewhere) are getting accepted just because there's not enough slots in this country."
Graduates of a state program would be "more likely to stay in Kentucky," he added.
