Skip to main content

Students Hear Update on New Building Plans during State of the College Address

Dean Reed stands in front of veterinary students seated in Lynn 1136
Dean Willie Reed shares a laugh with veterinary students during the annual State of the College address organized by SAVMA Purdue.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Willie Reed took time to provide veterinary students with a recap of developments in the past year during his annual State of the College address Wednesday, October 16, in Lynn 1136.  After emphasizing events that marked the College’s 60th Anniversary, Dean Reed shared architect’s renderings of the new Veterinary Teaching Hospital.  The drawings showed the proposed exterior elevations for the new Small Animal, Equine, and Farm Animal Hospital structures that will be constructed east of the existing Lynn Hall, along the new Williams Street extension.  Dean Reed explained that plans call for breaking ground in the spring of 2020, completing the construction by December 2021, and moving in during the first part of 2022.  The $108 million project is funded with a $73 million state appropriation as well as Purdue University funds and private donations.  The College is in the process of raising $8.1 million to support construction of the new facilities. 

Dean Reed also discussed points of pride for the College, including the continued number 1 ranking for the Veterinary Nursing Program.  He also noted the growth in admissions applications, which numbered in excess of 1,670 for the upcoming academic year.  Other information shared by Dean Reed included new faculty appointments and the success of fundraising initiatives, including the College’s participation in the University’s recently completed Ever True campaign.  The College raised a total of $54,483,724, exceeding its original goal of $40 million. 

The dean’s annual State of the College address has become a tradition organized each year by SAVMA Purdue.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

PVM Professor Emeritus Jan Hawkins Receives Prestigious Award from ACVS

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and the ACVS Foundation have announced the recipients of several prestigious awards, and one of the awardees is Purdue Veterinary Medicine Professor Emeritus Jan Hawkins, DVM, DACVS.  The ACVS Board of Regents selected Dr. Hawkins as the recipient of the Al and Carolyn Schiller Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his exceptional contributions to ACVS through decades of dedicated volunteer leadership and service.

Retreat brings together Veterinary Technology team members 

Members of the Purdue Veterinary Technology Distance Learning (VTDL) Program team recently traveled to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus for an in-person retreat where they could work together and explore new opportunities for teaching, learning, and student success. The two day retreat focused on strengthening collaboration between the program's remote and on-campus teams, and represented a significant milestone for the program.

Annual Purdue Veterinary Conference draws veterinary professionals from across the country for learning and fun

The 2026 edition of the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference attracted attendees from around the U.S. for three days of educational sessions covering an array of topics.  With the overall theme of “One Health: Modern Veterinary Medicine,” the conference September 23-26 on the Purdue University campus drew more than 450 veterinarians and veterinary technicians, plus faculty, staff and students. Sessions taught by a total of 65 speakers, including many Purdue Veterinary Medicine clinicians and veterinary technicians/technologists, enabled conference-goers to earn up to 23 continuing education credit hours.

Significant Gift from Jordan Smelski Foundation will fuel Purdue Veterinary Medicine research on deadly brain eating amoeba

A researcher in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology has received a generous gift of more than $100,000 from the Jordan Smelski Foundation for Amoeba Awareness and Mr. Steve Smelski to support research of the deadly amoeba Naegleria fowleri. Christopher Rice, PhD, assistant professor of parasitology and principal investigator of the Rice Research Group, leads a research team seeking to discover and repurpose drugs against primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but typically fatal infection caused by Naegleria fowleri.

Purdue veterinary student receives Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship awarded by AKC Humane Fund

The AKC® Humane Fund, Inc.℠ has announced the 2026 recipients of the Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship, celebrating the human-canine bond, and one of the recipients is Purdue veterinary student Tiffany Chang of the Class of 2027. Chang is one of only five students chosen for the scholarships.