YELLOW, Texas – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Texas Tech University (TTU) School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) is receiving $ 350,000 in donation from Bank of America to build a new world-class veterinary school to help address the growing shortage to counter veterinary resources in the region.
The new 185,000-square-foot, two-story facility will enroll its first students later this year. Once fully implemented in the coming years, the school expects more than 450 veterinary and doctoral students. While the veterinary curriculum is firmly aligned with general veterinary practice in rural and regional communities, the graduate program will produce scientists who offer solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
“Our facilities are really world class. They will be a fantastic academic home for our students, staff and faculties, ”said Guy Loneragan, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “We are so grateful that our community, the region at large, and Bank of America have made these facilities and programs a reality. This gift will add to a world class space for students and support important programs and recruiting efforts across the region. ”
The project is expected to gross more than $ 75 million annually in the region and create nearly 375 new jobs. Located in the region responsible for nearly a quarter of the country’s beef production, the school’s programs and research components will support sustainability efforts in the livestock industry. The school’s unique geographic location will allow it to serve as the closest veterinary school for students in five states who support large animal husbandry and all face veterinary shortages.
“Amarillo is a very special community and everyone here knows how important quality animal care is to our economy,” said Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson. “This school gives Amarillo a competitive advantage and opens the door to a multitude of opportunities for students, farmers, researchers and many more.”
The SVM’s mission can be focused on supporting the veterinary service and educational needs of rural and regional communities and providing access to affordable world-class education. To accomplish this mission, the school implements a three-pronged strategy based on targeted admissions, curricular focuses and experience-based learning. In terms of the admissions process, the school preferably recruits and welcomes students with deep life experiences rooted in rural and regional communities in Texas and New Mexico. This includes many underserved communities with sizeable Latino populations. This is an important part of Texas tissue that has traditionally been underrepresented in veterinary medicine.
In order to fulfill its mission more effectively, the school runs programs to improve cultural literacy. These will, for example, provide approaches for more effective student recruitment in communities on the southern Texas border, refine the admissions process to identify students with enormous potential, but who may not have had the opportunity to attend or to attend veterinary programs at larger overall universities Develop educational models to help veterinary medicine students develop proficiency in Spanish to communicate effectively with clients or zookeepers for whom English is a second language. The school’s cultural competency initiatives are funded in part by the gift from Bank of America and the SVM Cultural Competency Council is led by Drs. Arlene Garcia and László Hunyadi.
“Texas Tech University’s School of Veterinary Medicine will serve as the social and economic anchor for Amarillo, the region, and our state. The groundbreaking research and teaching on the human-animal interface will benefit all societies and animal welfare, “said W. Ashley Allen, President of Bank of America Amarillo. “Our philanthropic investment will pay off in the years to come, support economic mobility and strengthen rural jobs for the region.”
This anchor gift is the largest Bank of America gift to date in the region and is part of their focus on promoting economic mobility by supporting nonprofits that serve education and workers, community development, and basic needs.
About the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine
Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine was founded in 2018 with the sole aim of serving the veterinary needs of rural and regional communities and providing access to affordable, world-class veterinary education. The school implements a bold and innovative approach to veterinary education based on three conscious strategies. These are designed to recruit and preferentially host students with life experiences rooted in rural and regional communities, provide a curriculum specifically tailored to the veterinary needs of rural and regional communities, and provide exceptional hands-on experience in rural and regional communities. Texas Tech offers one of the most affordable veterinary programs in the country and has started enrolling its groundbreaking class of students from Texas and New Mexico.
Further information can be found at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving retail, small and medium-sized businesses, and large corporations with a full range of banking, investment, wealth management, and other financial and risk management products and services. The company offers unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million residential and small business customers with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers including approximately 2,800 credit centers, 2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment Financial Solutions Advisor, and 2,000 business centers; approximately 16,800 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with approximately 38 million active users, including approximately 29 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading in a wide range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America provides industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a range of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves customers through offices in the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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