UC-Davis collects $4.5 million to upgrade, expand

DAVIS, CALIF. — The University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) is in line to receive $4.5 million this year from a bond act voters passed statewide in November.

The money will be used to complete the next phase of modernizing and expanding the veterinary school's facilities.

Mapped out in segments, the latest phase includes building what's known as Veterinary Medicine III B, projected to cost a total $95 million. While much of the funding has come from state, university and campus sources, $12 million has been raised in private gifts.

The plan, underway since 2005, provides 55 faculty members with updated laboratory resources necessary to conduct research in basic and applied clinical science.

The upgrade is needed to comply with the American Veterinary Medical Association's accreditation standards as well as the National Institute of Health's facility standards, says Dr. Bennie Osburn, veterinary school dean.

Research productivity

It's critical that the program remains a leader in furthering scientific knowledge and curricular development within veterinary education, Osburn insists. UC-Davis is a leader among U.S. veterinary programs in the number of peer-reviewed scientific research papers published annually. Last year, extramural research funding awarded to UC-Davis' veterinary school faculty rose 44 percent to reach $96 million, officials say. Still, some faculty members have been forced to refuse grants based on lack of sufficient or technically inadequate laboratory facilities, officials add.

More money needed

Such inadequacies have fueled Osburn's pledge of renewal and growth. With $4.8 million left to secure within the next 16 months, Osburn says fundraising is his number-one priority. More than 90 percent of all donations are directed toward scholarships, research, endowments, equipment and programs. Now is the time for a push toward facilities that will train the next generation of biomedical scientists, he says.

The goal is to begin construction on the $95-million project in 2008, and complete it by 2011.

Dr. Bennie Osburn