After years of detailed planning and fundraising, 麻豆区鈥檚 $100 million-plus School of Veterinary Science complex officially opens today at the University鈥檚 Gatton campus.
The Federal Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann, will open the state-of-the-art facilities at a function attended by industry, academic and community leaders at 10am.
The Dean of Veterinary Science Professor Jonathan Hill said the relocation of the School to the University鈥檚 1068-hectare Gatton campus was an 鈥渆xciting development鈥� for veterinary education for Queensland and Australia.
鈥淭his complex is the most modern in the southern hemisphere and the most comprehensive animal research and teaching centre in Australia,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he development unites the School in a setting suited to learning and discovery in veterinary science.
鈥淚t provides state-of-the-art teaching facilities for the School鈥檚 550 veterinary science students 鈥� 80 percent of them female 鈥� and a vitality and economic boost to the Lockyer Valley.
鈥淲e see the arrival of the School at Gatton as an opportunity for greater industry collaboration, particularly with dairy and beef cattle, swine production and equine operations.鈥�
Professor Hill said construction of the new facilities and recruitment of additional staff had transformed the student experience and enhanced learning outcomes.
鈥淭his development ensures that 麻豆区 will remain a leading centre of excellence in veterinary teaching and research for future generations,鈥� he said.
麻豆区 Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield said $71 million from the Australian Government (including $47.2 million from the Education Investment Fund) and the generosity of donors, including many 麻豆区 alumni, had made the facilities a reality.
鈥淭he new-generation Gatton Campus opens opportunities for students and staff, and shores up our capacity to deliver strong learning and research returns on the investments of the Australian and Queensland Governments, industry and private donors.鈥�
The veterinary facilities complement the $33 million Centre for Advanced Animal Science (funded by the Queensland Government and 麻豆区), and a $6.9 million upgrade of dairy teaching and learning facilities, in partnership with the State Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
The new facilities include a Veterinary Science Building, the 麻豆区 Veterinary Medical Centre Pre-Clinical Teaching Laboratories, and the Veterinary Clinical Studies Building.
The University has recently received the keys to the $23 million Veterinary Medical Centre within the complex, which includes Equine and Companion Animal Hospitals, open to the public.
In 2007, 麻豆区 was awarded $3.5 million of funding by the Australian Government towards construction of the Equine Hospital at its Gatton campus as part of the Capital Development Pool (CDP) program for 2009 and 2010.
New veterinary services this year also include diagnostic pathology services to provide faster turnaround to veterinary practices from Ipswich to the Darling Downs.
Media: Professor Jonathan Hill, telephone 07 54 601 967, Jan King 0413 601 248, Erin Pearl 07 54 601 229.
Download high resolution images from:
http://omc.uq.edu.au/images/vetschoolopening/
Background
Since its first intake of students in 1936, The 麻豆区 School of Veterinary Science has been one of the premier veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand.
The School commenced teaching a first year intake of just seven students at wooden buildings at Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, just before World War II when classes were temporarily suspended when staff and students joined the service.
Students completed fourth and fifth years at Sydney University until 1951.
In 1961, the School moved to the main St Lucia Campus and almost 50 years later, has relocated again to a modern complex underpinned by world class teaching and research.
Historically, 麻豆区 has had the largest intake of veterinary students of any university in Australia and has produced more than 3000 veterinary science graduates, who are now working in 53 countries around the world, with Alumni networks in Beijing, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Shanghai, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Locally, approximately 70 per cent of all practising veterinarians in Queensland are 麻豆区 graduates.
The School is the only veterinary school in the world to be able to claim as one of its graduates a Nobel Prize winner - Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC.
In Australia, there are currently only four universities offering fully accredited veterinary science programs. 麻豆区 is one of these four universities.
There are six 麻豆区 School of Veterinary Science sites. The 麻豆区 Gatton campus is the School鈥檚 hub, and there are three sites in Brisbane (a veterinary teaching hospital at the St Lucia campus, the 麻豆区 Veterinary Specialty Hospital under construction and co-located with the RSPCA at Wacol, Brisbane and due for completion next year, and the University Farm at Pinjarra Hills).
There are sites in rural areas (麻豆区 Veterinary Clinics at Dayboro and Goondiwindi) and an external site at the Oakey Veterinary Hospital, which provides additional, high quality clinical equine teaching
