Major construction project on horizon at Texas A&M

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Administrators at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences are looking forward to a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion project in the coming years.

The $120 million capital project will add a veterinary education building and an extension to the small animal hospital. It will be one of the largest construction projects in the history of the university, according to a Texas A&M press release.

Artist rendering of new building
(Courtesy of Texas A&M CVM&BS)

The new building will house classroom and teaching laboratory space that will enhance the learning environment for students. Some of the additions possible for the new classrooms include simulation laboratories and distance technology.

“The new facility represents a tremendous opportunity to bring the latest in teaching technology to the (veterinary college) and to Texas A&M University,” said Dean Eleanor M. Green in the release.

The extension to the small animal hospital will better accommodate veterinary students and allow for enhanced patient care, she added.

Site visits from the AVMA Council on Education and Texas A&M administrators noted the need for improvements in the college’s teaching facilities, especially to keep pace with the “dynamic growth” in the veterinary profession, according to the release.

Plans were approved Feb. 3 by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. Money for the project will come entirely from the Permanent University Fund, which was established in the Texas Constitution of 1876 as a public endowment contributing to the support of the institutions of the Texas A&M and University of Texas systems.

With the facilities added to the capital plan, the veterinary college’s administrative team is in the midst of the planning and design process. Dean Green said in a March 19 blog post that relocating the Schubot Center for Exotic Bird Health will be the first step in the construction phase. Plans have been submitted to the university’s Council on the Built Environment to relocate the aviary.

And although a completion date has yet to be established, “In 2016, we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary. It would be outstanding if we were able to step into our new facilities as we step into a new century,” Dean Green said.

That is also the year the veterinary college is slated for its next COE site visit.