Multifaceted hospital under construction at Tuskegee

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Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health held a groundbreaking ceremony March 20 for its new veterinary medical teaching hospital.

Construction of the $41.5 million facility is slated to begin this summer. Funding will come from individual and corporate donors through the university’s capital campaign.

(Courtesy of Rabren General Contractors)
Artist rendering aerial view of new facility

The two buildings that currently house the small and large animal departments total approximately 85,000 square feet. They are more than 40 years old and would be costly to repair, according to college officials.

The new teaching hospital will be approximately 120,000 square feet and house high-level clinical services for small and large animals as well as accommodate diagnostic services in the areas of pathology, microbiology, parasitology, virology, and immunology. Other new features include a dog park, covered equine lameness arena, equine neonatal intensive care unit, 150-seat auditorium, and 108-seat electronically enhanced classroom.

Dr. Tsegaye Habtemariam, dean of the college, said in a press release, “For the first time in almost four decades, the veterinary medical teaching hospital will be upgraded to a modern facility that will now help us reach our goal of establishing a preeminent place of interdisciplinary teaching and learning as well as high-level clinical services with a focus on translational research and discovery attuned to exploit the latest in molecular biology, computational modeling, food safety, zoonoses, and public health.”

Construction of the new veterinary teaching hospital will be done in four phases, with completion expected in 2015.