Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 12, 1994 TAG: 9405120160
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Short
The nation has only 27 veterinary colleges, and not all of them have achieved full accreditation.
Peter Eyre, dean of the college, said the accreditation would ``help us in recruiting students. It will help in recruiting and retaining faculty and staff. It will help with research grants and so forth.''
The school opened in 1980. It was not until 1990 that it gained accreditation for a limited four-year period, "basically because of a lack of progress in our building program," said college spokesman Jeff Douglas.
The school was waiting for $8.3 million to finish a 60,000-square-foot instructional and research space, bringing the school up to 225,000 square feet.
"The recession kicked in," said Douglas.
Funding from the state lottery that was to go toward projects like the veterinary school ended up going elsewhere when Virginia found itself with financial problems. Then last year, voters approved the higher education capital projects bond, which is paying for delayed projects.
Several buildings at the college are still under construction, but the full seven-year accreditation was approved anyway. Eyre said the remaining work should be finished this year.
He credited the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, the Virginia Agribusiness Council and other farm groups in the state with helping get funding from the General Assembly to complete construction of the college's facilities.
by CNB