WSU College of Veterinary Medicine celebrates 125 years
A centerpiece of the university, the program has graduated around 7,000 veterinarians to date
Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine is turning 125.
To celebrate, the college brought out cake, an Italian soda station and activities for the public to enjoy Thursday afternoon.
The anniversary drew quite a crowd. Students, faculty and community members formed lines down Bustad Hall to grab a slice and create their own drinks.
Dean Dori Borjesson said the school has come a long way since it was founded in 1899. Beginning in a shed, it finished its first year with three graduating students. Now, the college supports 140 students annually, and has graduated around 7,000 veterinarians to date.
“It’s like standing on the shoulders of giants,” she said. “It feels really amazing to see us here celebrating alumni, students, donors and communities.”
Borjesson said the school is the fifth longest running veterinary college in the U.S. It was started with a mission to train the finest veterinarians in the world. Since then it has grown to be a leader in veterinary education and research.
In addition to offering veterinary medical degrees, she said the college is well-known for providing pre-health degrees and opportunities in biomedical research.
The college is Washington’s only veterinary school, and one of a handful in the Pacific Northwest. Borjesson said that for 50 years, the school has partnered with universities in Idaho and Montana that don’t have veterinary schools in order to bring students into the program.
Borjesson said it takes a lot of work and dedication to run a school for so long, and all that work can be credited to the college’s faculty and staff.
“We have really amazing people over the years who believe in caring for animals,” she said. “And honestly, we’ve had a great history of college leadership and people who really care about the program.”
Provost T. Chris Riley-Tillman said the anniversary is an incredible thing to celebrate.
“There’s very few universities that have a college of veterinary medicine,” he said. “It’s one of the centerpieces of the university. … (The college) has been one of the original founding structures of WSU.”
A few members of the college’s graduating 1974 class traveled to WSU for the anniversary. Bob Krieg from Texas said longtime buddies Tom Williams, of Oklahoma, and Cliff Heino, of Seattle, talked him into coming to the university.
Williams and Krieg studied farm animal medicine and Heino went to school for small animal veterinary care.
After graduating, Williams was a state veterinarian in Idaho Falls and Heino owned a small animal veterinary practice in Seattle. Krieg worked for the United Veterinary Services Association, where he inspected horses and cattle coming from Mexico.
They all said it was fun coming back to the institution to see how much has changed.
“So many of these buildings weren’t here,” Krieg said. “And the trees were little baby trees.”
To celebrate 125 years, the college will be fundraising for 125 days to try and raise $125,000. The school has already raised about $32,000 and is taking donations until Dec. 31.
To learn more about the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine or donate, visit vetmed.wsu.edu.
Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com
