The Theta chapter of Alpha Psi has pledged $1 million over the next 10 years benefitting the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. The $1 million gift will be used toward enhancing the facilities at the college located on Wire Road.

The monies will help make possible three new classrooms in the educational wing addition that is currently under construction.  The 150-seat lecture rooms will be accessible in January 2012.  Construction of the new Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital, opening in 2014, follows along with a food animal barn that is to be built adjacent to food animal research facilities.

In recognition of the gift, the College of Veterinary Medicine will designate one classroom in the education complex in the fraternity’s honor. Additional recognition in the lobby of the new teaching hospital and signage on the college’s existing dairy parlor will reflect the support of Alpha Psi.

“This pledge is a tremendous show of support by our current students who have invested their hard-earned dollars in the future of veterinary education and research at Auburn.  By committing to our academic program at this level, the members of Alpha Psi have made an immediate and lasting impact on the student experience and the quality of training,” said College of Veterinary Medicine Acting Dean Calvin Johnson.

Alpha Psi President Bradley Johnson, a third-year veterinary student from Jacksonville, Ala., announced the donation.  “This gift to the College of Veterinary Medicine is one way we, the brothers of Alpha Psi,  want to give back and help support this institution that is on the forefront of veterinary medicine and research. We appreciate the faculty and administration who prepare us for our future careers in veterinary medicine.  By designating this donation to the new classroom, the new small animal teaching hospital and to the research barn, we hope to continue Auburn’s rich tradition of leadership in veterinary education and in animal health.”

Auburn’s Theta chapter of Alpha Psi is almost as old as the veterinary college. Theta chapter’s installation on April 4, 1912, came three years after Auburn awarded its first veterinary degrees. 

Past gifts to the College of Veterinary Medicine from Alpha Psi have supported scholarships, equipment purchases, and a recent renovation of the Cary Veterinary Medical Library.

The mission of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine is to prepare individuals for careers of excellence in veterinary medicine.  The college provides programs of instruction, research, outreach, and service that are in the best interests of the citizens of the state of Alabama, the region, the nation, and the world.

Contact: Tara Lanier, 334-844-3698, tara.lanier@auburn.edu