Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine celebrates 50% completion

Photos courtesy of Rowan University

Rowan University's Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and Virtua Health College Research Center reaches 50% completion

Rowan University in New Jersey hosted a ceremonial beam signing to commemorate the halfway point of construction of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and the Virtua Health College Research Center. In attendance at the September 9, 2024 ceremony were leaders from Rowan University and their partners from Virtua Health, along with state and local officials, students, and members of the Garden State community. Attendees took turns signing the final beam to be added to the facility’s framework in celebration of what will soon be New Jersey’s first veterinary school when it opens its doors to the first students in fall 2025, pending accreditation approval.^1,2

Attendees sign the final beam to be raised in the facility's framework

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

“One of the things we want to do is make sure that, when they start here, they learn to be a doctor with hands-on experience from Day One. Our teaching hospital is going to be a phenomenal resource for the community. We don’t have a lot of access here in South Jersey for emergency care, for specialty care.”¹

Rowan University broke ground on the veterinary school in April 2023.³ The 7 ft beam completes the frame of Rowan’s $176 million addition, an addition that will be the largest academic facility across the University’s 8 campuses. The 162,000-square-foot, 4-story facility will stand on Rowan’s west campus, just a mile down the road from the school’s main campus in Glassboro, New Jersey.¹

The facility will be split between the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and the Virtua Health College Research Center. The veterinary school will contain state-of-the-art veterinary classrooms, a teaching hospital that will offer clinical services for the community, and educational and diagnostic laboratories, while the Virtua Health College Research Center will include its own open, modular laboratories, collaboration spaces, and support facilities.^1,4

Ali A. Houshmand, president of Rowan Univeristy, addresses attendees of the ceremony

The Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences is an academic partnership between Virtua Health and Rowan University that was established in 2021. At the beam signing event, Ali A. Houshmand, president, Rowan University, thanked Virtua Health, along with the school’s other partners that have contributed to the construction thus far.¹

In late 2021, the New Jersey Legislature approved $75 million towards construction of the veterinary school’s primary facility. Virtua Health made an $85 million philanthropic investment in 2022, and Rowan University committed $125 million towards the partnership which looks to advance medical, nursing, and health care education.¹ The school is named for Gerald B. Shreiber, a businessman, animal welfare advocate, and New Jersey native, who gifted the school $30 million in 2023 to fund the development of the new school and support future veterinary scholarships.²

A projection of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine

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

In May 2024, Matthew Edson, founding dean, Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, joined dvm360’s Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, on an episode of The Vet Blast Podcast.⁵ The 2 discussed what the opening of Rowan University’s Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine would do for the veterinary care industry.

References

1. Halfway there: Beam signing marks milestone for Shreiber 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. The new Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine breaks ground. 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