Clemson University broke ground Friday on what will be South Carolina's first veterinary medicine school.
Clemson said the new College of Veterinary Medicine should be completed by fall 2026, with a first class of 80 students pending accreditation. The "doctor of veterinary medicine" degree program and its curriculum have already been approved by the Upstate university.
Altogether, state lawmakers authorized more than $246 million for the construction of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, named after state Sen. Harvey Peeler, a Clemson University graduate and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
More than $1 million was raised by donors, Clemson said.
“Together, we are further elevating our land-grant mission and continuing to meet the needs of our communities through education, research and service," Clemson University President Jim Clements said, in part, Friday.
South Carolina is one of 22 states without a vet school, a gap in the state's college education system that project advocates said forced students to study elsewhere as the state deals with a veterinarian shortage.
A third of the state's 46 counties have fewer than five veterinarians, and 48% of counties have fewer than 10, according to Clemson. Because of the lack of veterinary colleges nationwide, Clemson said hundreds of students are turned away due to capacity issues.
With no veterinary school, Clemson said the state spends more than $6 million a year covering college tuition for students to enroll in schools elsewhere, including at next-door neighbor University of Georgia.
“This new college is a great opportunity to unify the state for animal care and the human-animal bond. We have some top priorities to ensure we’re helping our state that relies on animal agriculture,” the college's dean, Dr. Steven Marks, said in a January statement. “We’re fortunate right now to have this opportunity.”
In the Statehouse, there was no bigger advocate for the project than Senate budget Chairman Peeler, a Gaffney Republican who on Friday said he wanted a vet school on Clemson's campus ever since he was a student.
Peeler, who outside of his Statehouse job is a cattle farmer, said the College of Veterinary Medicine has been a "dream that's been a long time in the making."
“This is not just about education," Peeler said. "It is about taking care of our animals, supporting our farmers, growing our economy and filling the need for veterinarians in South Carolina.”
The college will be built across the street from Clemson's Equine Center in Pendleton.
Clemson said the project will include six buildings, where students can attend classes and study, work in research labs, practice equine health and get trained in farm animal care.
