A dog named Wonder cut the ribbon at Colorado State University’s grand opening for its new Veterinary Hospital and Education Complex on Thursday, Oct. 1, signifying a new era in veterinary medicine at the university.
The new $230 million facility borders Drake Road and is an expansion of CSU’s already existing vet hospital program. The project broke ground in early 2024 and gives the university capacity for more students to enroll in CSU’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. It is expected to see 42,000 patients annually, according to a press release reviewed by The Collegian.
Morgan Berner-Jones, a fourth-year D.V.M. student ambassador who attended the grand opening, said she watched the project be built from the ground up.
“My senior year gets to be spent partially in this building,” Berner-Jones said. “It’s really cool. It’s been a vision since I came in as a first year.”
The building will be home to the university’s new Ascend D.V.M. curriculum, which has been in the works for longer than a decade and will emphasize clinical reasoning, hands-on experience, classroom engagement and more.
“With its systems-based approach, students will begin working with patients in their first year of veterinary school instead of their third year,” the press release reads. “The change is expected to enhance career readiness upon graduation.”
Berner-Jones said she is excited for the hands-on opportunities the building offers, noting incoming students will be able to gather surgical experience on site.
University leaders, members of CSU System Board of Governors, donors, elected officials and more gathered outside the complex for the grand opening, which included a number of speeches and allowed attendees to take a self-guided tour through the building. Attendees were welcomed by Sue VandeWoude, dean of CSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
The event began with a land acknowledgement, which was followed by a statement from CSU President Amy Parsons, who highlighted the impact of the building and thanked donors.
“There are moments in the life of a university when we get to see our ambitions become tangible, when years of ideas and planning and building and generosity become something that we can actually walk into,” Parsons said. “This is one of those moments. Today we aren’t simply opening a remarkable new facility. We’re making a statement about the future of veterinary medicine and about Colorado State University’s intention to help lead it.”
Colorado is one state of many facing a severe veterinary services shortage. A 2024 CSU study found over 65% of livestock producers experienced difficulty in finding services in 2023. Pet owners face a similar reality, with another 2023 CSU survey finding 71% of veterinary practice managers and owners had to turn away clients at least once a week. The same publication reported it takes 10.8 months to fulfill positions at their respective place of employment, on average.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also spoke at the grand opening, expanding on the impacts of Colorado’s veterinary shortage and sharing information about state initiatives that support animal health.
In 2024, Polis signed Colorado HB24-1231, which in part provided $50 million for the construction of the facility. Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, who represents Larimer and Weld County, was a prime sponsor on the bill and was also in attendance at the opening.
Following voter approval of Prop. 129 in 2024, Colorado HB25-1285 established the role of veterinary professional associates, who, under certain circumstances, may practice veterinary medicine.
“This facility will allow a larger class of veterinarians, as well as the very first class in the entire nation of veterinary professional associates,” Polis said. “That’s a movement that’s going to take off across the country. There are going to be many, but we have to remind everybody in the circles we run in that that started right here at CSU.”
The complex has the capacity to increase enrollment in the DVM program by 20% each year, bringing the Fall 2026 class to a total 174 students and contributing to the effort to address the shortage of veterinary care in the United States.
CSU’s DVM program has long been recognized as one of the top programs in the nation; the vet school ranked third in the 2026-27 Best Veterinary School Rankings from the U.S. News & World Report.
Other speakers at the grand opening included United States Congressman Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd congressional district, and Dr. Chad Johannes, executive director of clinical care at the veterinary teaching hospital.
Reach Chloe Rios at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
