Groundbreaking Wednesday for MSU Veterinary Sciences building

Murray State University is set to break ground Wednesday on the new Veterinary Sciences building. The building will house the school's College of Veterinary Medicine, capping decades of efforts to allow MSU to offer a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

The program will mark the first veterinary school in the state of Kentucky.

The program is set to address the shortage of veterinary providers in Kentucky by serving students unable to attend an out-of-state school. The program is on track to enroll the first class of DVM students as soon as 2028. Murray State has been seeking to establish a veterinary school for over 50 years, with efforts initiating in 1973.

Ceremonies will take place at 2 p.m. at the university's West Farm on College Farm Road.

The building will 88,000 square feet of classrooms, laboratories, offices and support space. Construction is estimated to take 24 months.

The university hopes to have the accreditation process completed by next year, although full accreditation will last for several years, even after students begin the program.