The lab is nearly 18 years in the making, was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The new lab will give faculty an opportunity to provide students with hands on experience with large and small animals.
The facility has a large anatomy floor for up to 30 students and an expanded prep room, surgery suite and temporary holding area for cats and dogs.
Veterinary tech student Tiana Smithsaid she is excited about the new addition, "It's a bigger facility. It's a better step than being on campus because we have our own facility over here and we have a lot of things that are dedicated to our course work," Smith said.
FAMU’s Veterinary Technology program is an intensive four-year degree program which trains students to provide medical and non-medical support to veterinarians. Students spend their first two years on campus, and their last two years applying their knowledge under the guidance of licensed veterinarians and technologists in the field.
The Vet Tech program at FAMU is only one of four at an HBCU, graduates can either go directly into the workforce, or continue their training to earn a full doctor of veterinarian medicine degree.