Veterinary science building opens

Utah State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine began its second year of operation this week, with first-year and second-year students sharing the college’s new building for the first time. 

The 106,000-square-foot Thomas and Patricia Willis Veterinary Medical Education Building, which was completed over the summer on the north end of campus, now houses all the college’s students, faculty and staff. Previously, coursework for the program’s first cohort was split between the Stan L. Albrecht Agricultural Sciences Building and the Veterinary Sciences and Biology Building on the main campus. 

Dirk Vanderwall, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, said the arrival of more than 120 students this week added new energy to a building faculty and staff had only recently moved into over the summer. 

“It’s brought a whole new life to the building,” Vanderwall said, adding that moving in remains a work in progress even as classes began. 

This year’s incoming class includes 77 students, according to first-year student Halle Garrett — about 40 from Utah, 15 from Nevada and 15 from other states. Vanderwall said 47 of the students are Utah residents, an increase he attributed largely to the new building’s added capacity. The college’s inaugural class, which was admitted in August 2025, had 42 students. 

The college is working toward an eventual class size of about 80 students annually, split evenly between Utah residents and nonresidents. 

The program received provisional accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education following the matriculation of its inaugural class, and its next accreditation site visit is scheduled for mid-November. 

For first-year students Garrett and Grace Moore, arriving in the still-settling building capped years of preparation. Moore said she began volunteering at an animal shelter in Colorado during high school and later worked in research at USU before applying to veterinary school. 

“Once I had heard that they were building their own program instead of doing the old two years here, two years at Washington State, I was excited that it’s all based here,” Moore said. 

Garrett, who grew up in Ogden, said she had originally planned to complete her degree through the college’s former partnership with Washington State University before USU announced it would launch its own four-year program. 

Both students pointed to the building’s surgical suite, which overlooks the mountains, and its mock exam rooms as highlights of their first days in the building. 

“They don’t lock you in a basement,” Garrett said. “They mostly really prioritize being able to see the outdoors.” 

Moore and Garrett said they have joined a student surgery club that assists with spay-and-neuter clinics and plan to volunteer through a new on-call system connecting veterinary students with local practitioners handling emergency calls. 

Vanderwall said the college is also building out other resources in the new space, including five shared research bays on the third floor and a wellness suite staffed through Counseling and Prevention Services, with support from a sponsorship by Purina Animal Nutrition. 

The college will host the Mountainlands Utah Veterinary Summit, which is a continuing education event for veterinarians, in the building in September. Plans are to do so every other year going forward. 

Unlike some veterinary programs, USU’s college does not operate its own teaching hospital. Instead, fourth-year students complete clinical rotations at practices throughout the region, the country and Canada. 

Garrett said the shared space has helped build a sense of community among students, some of whom already knew faculty members from their undergraduate years at USU. 

“Being able to have a community here that we know will support us and that we can find that support with for all four years is a game changer,” Garrett said. 

For both students, being the second cohort to go through the school is a big deal.  

“I’ve never been more scared and excited in my life,” Moore said.