May 23, 2019 500 AM
Our elected officials
The Conference Committee for the state’s budget voted to include $17.4 million to establish a vet school at Texas Tech University. The full budget will go to the House and Senate to concur on the changes to the budget before it heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for his signature.
These legislators issued this statement:
“The Legislature has always recognized the value of robust and competitive university systems to meet the needs of a growing state that has an integral role in the success of our nation and global economy.
The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (TTUSOVM) will help address the shortage of large and mixed animal veterinarians in rural parts of the state.
The addition of a second veterinary school will enhance the ability to meet the demand for a growing population and secure the food supply. The school will address the hundreds of students who are leaving the State of Texas for a more costly education, then coming back to practice in their home state with upwards of $250,000 in debt due to out of state tuition.
This is a great day for future veterinarians of this great state and for the entire country.
We want to thank all of the people who made this dream a reality—beginning with former Texas Tech System Chancellors Robert Duncan and Kent Hance, Chancellor Tedd Mitchell, Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, fellow legislators and the thousands of others who supported the vet school. As usual, trusting in the process to do what is right for the citizens of this great state has once again been fulfilled.”
Sen. José Rodríguez – Senate District 29 – 512-463-0129
