Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine Celebrates 50% Completion

Photos courtesy of Rowan University

Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and Virtua Health College Research Center at Rowan University Achieve 50% Completion

Rowan University in New Jersey hosted a ceremonial beam-signing to celebrate the halfway point of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and Virtua Health College Research Center. The ceremony on September 9, 2024, was attended by leaders from Rowan University and their partners at Virtua Health, as well as state and local officials, students and members of the Garden State community. Participants took turns signing the final beam that will be added to the structure to celebrate what will soon become the first veterinary school in New Jersey when it opens its doors to its first students in the fall of 2025, pending accreditation approval.^1,2

Participants sign the last beam that will be raised in the structure of the facility

“We’re signing this beam today and in 11 short months we’ll have our first DVM class. It’s truly extraordinary,” said Matthew Edson, founding dean of the Shreyber School of Veterinary Medicine in Rowan today article.¹ “Once they get here, we will have phenomenal plans for a truly innovative curriculum.

“One of the things we want to do is make sure that when they start here, they learn to be experienced physicians from day one. Our teaching hospital will be a phenomenal resource for the community. We don’t have a lot of access here in South Jersey to acute care, to specialty care.”¹

Rowan University breaks ground on veterinary science campus in April 2023³ The 7-foot beam completes the frame of Rowan’s $176 million addition, which will be the largest academic facility on the university’s eight campuses. The 162,000-square-foot, four-story facility will stand on Rowan’s West Campus, just a mile from the school’s main campus in Glassboro, N.J.¹

The facility will be split between the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and the Virtua Health College Research Center. The veterinary school will feature state-of-the-art veterinary classrooms, a teaching hospital that will offer clinical services to the community, and educational and diagnostic laboratories, while the Virtua Health College Research Center will feature its own open, modular laboratories, collaborative spaces, and support facilities.^1.4

Ali A. Houshmand, president of Rowan University, addresses the ceremony participants

Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences is an academic partnership between Virtua Health and Rowan University that was established in 2021. During the beam-signing event, Ali A. Houshmand, president of Rowan University, thanked Virtua Health, as well as other school partners who have contributed to the construction thus far.¹

In late 2021, the New Jersey Legislature approved $75 million to build a major veterinary school facility. Virtua Health has invested $85 million in philanthropy in 2022, and Rowan University has committed $125 million to a partnership to advance medical, nursing and healthcare education.¹ The school is named for Gerald B. Shreiber, a New Jersey businessman and animal advocate who donated $30 million to the school in 2023 to fund the development of a new school and support future veterinary scholarships.²

Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine Projection

As a result of the partnership, Rowan will soon be one of only two universities in the United States offering 3 medical degrees: Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), and soon Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). The university will offer accelerated track programs such as DVM/Master of Business Administration (MBA), internship and residency programs, and continuing education (CE) opportunities.²

In May 2024, Matthew Edson, founding dean of the Shreyber School of Veterinary Medicine, joined us dvm360 Adam Christman, MBA, on an episode of The Vet Blast podcast.⁵ The two discussed the impact the opening of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University will have on the veterinary care industry.

References

1. Halfway there: Signing of beam contracts marks milestone for Shreiber’s veterinary school, Virtua Health. Rowan today. September 9, 2024. Accessed September 10, 2024. https://today.rowan.edu/news/2024/09/svm-virtua-hc-beam-signing.html
2. Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine. Rowan University. Accessed September 10, 2024. https://svm.rowan.edu/
3. Coppock K. New Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine begins operations. dvm360. April 28, 2023. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/the-new-shreiber-school-of-veterinary-medicine-breaks-ground
4. Introducing the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine. Rowan today. April 28, 2023. Accessed September 10, 2024. https://today.rowan.edu/news/2023/04/shreiber-school.html
5. McCafferty C. The Future of Veterinary Education. dvm360. May 8, 2024. Accessed September 10, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/the-future-of-veterinary-education