Vet School gets state grant to construct new research building

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge recently announced that the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine will receive an $18 million grant for a new teaching and research building. Ridge made the announcement on August 9 at an annual fair at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. The grant is by far the largest that the Vet School has ever received. "Our commitment will allow Penn to build a state-of-the-art teaching and research complex to better serve the state's agricultural needs," Ridge said at the ceremony. The grant is part of an agriculture capital investment, and demands that the Vet School raise an equal amount over the next five years. The Teaching and Research Center at Penn would be one of three projects funded by a $90 million state investment in agriculture, the largest investment of its kind. "It is absolutely critical to the school that we get a new building," Veterinary School Dean Alan Kelly said. He added that the Vet School currently lacks sufficient lab space and that teaching facilities need updating. The new five-story, 100,000 square-foot building will be located near 39th and Spruce streets. It will connect to the Rosenthal Building through an atrium, extending over the area where the library is currently located. The two lower levels of the building will contain a new library, lecture halls, seminar rooms, a student lounge and exhibition space. The third through fifth floors will be devoted to laboratory and office space. Research materials and animal colonies will be stored in the basement. The center will accommodate research in a variety of areas, including infectious diseases, animal transgenesis and germ cell research, comparative medical genetics and comparative oncology. The estimated cost for the building is $43 million, meaning the Vet School is responsible for matching the grant and then raising another $25 million. "We now have a lot of work to do to raise the balance so this building can become a reality quickly," Kelly said in a statement. Added Vet School spokeswoman Helma Weeks: "This is a very important first step. The school is now about to embark on the fundraising project." Kelly said the project is in its very early stages, but the next several steps, such as hiring architects and creating a design plan for the building, are expected be accomplished within the next few weeks

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