Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and its sister college, Arkansas State University Beebe (ASUB), are exploring potential partnerships between the two schools’ veterinary education programs.
A-State is working on developing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program with its upcoming College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The college is projected to open this fall, with a class of 120 students. Sixty of those spots are reserved for Arkansas residents.
ASUB operates a Certified Veterinary Tech (CVT) program, which lasts two years. It is the only one of its kind in Arkansas.
The partnership is pending A-State’s CVM being accredited, which is expected between April and July. It is just one of many partnerships A-State is exploring for the CVM, which also includes area veterinarians, government agencies, and more.
“We not only see the great connection with our vet tech program, but with students who may want to come here to get pre-reqs to get into the veterinary medicine program, whether they go through vet tech or not,” Dr. Jennifer Methvin, ASUB chancellor, said. “We do that in pharmacy, so, so many programs for partners all across the state. So, of course, we want to do it with our sister college, A-State.”
Currently, there is no Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program in Arkansas, although both A-State and Lyon College in Batesville are working to establish one. Both are projected to open in 2026. A-State’s program will be the first for a public school in Arkansas; Lyon’s will be the first for a private school. Students wanting to pursue veterinary education in previous years have had to attend out-of-state institutions.
Discussions for the partnership began in the fall 2025 semester, with the goal of ironing out final details in the spring 2026 semester.
Officials with both colleges told JRN that ASUB’s program could act as a stepping stone to A-State’s as the two programs have similar fundamentals. Officials are working to develop pathways from ASUB’s program to A-State’s.
The CVT program will not act as a replacement for A-State’s, but those who graduate from ASUB’s program could continue their education toward a DVM degree. Once A-State’s program is accredited, a path for vet tech students wanting to enroll in the CVM is expected to be developed so students can complete the two to three semesters of prerequisites.
“Anytime we provide different opportunities and pathways for students to pursue the careers that they want, and they make it clear and provide the support for them to succeed, that just helps everybody,” said A-State Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields.
Officials with both schools hope this will help combat the veterinarian shortage across Arkansas. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, under the United States Department of Agriculture, lists several veterinary shortages across the state, in both rural and private practices.
Methvin noted that it would bring extra notoriety to the two-year college’s program, as well as help clarify the differences between the roles of a veterinarian and a vet tech.
Veterinarians are licensed to diagnose and treat various animal medical conditions, prescribe medication, and perform surgeries, while vet techs perform certain medical procedures, take X-rays, and administer medications under a veterinarian’s supervision.
“To explain the difference in those two programs and to get more young people interested in them, that’s the advantage right now,” Methvin said. “Both these pathways, vet techs and veterinarians, are something our state needs badly, very, very badly. It’s shining a light on both.”
One reason veterinarians are so in demand is that many are aging out of the industry. Those who are still working are approaching, or have already passed, retirement age, according to A-State CVM Dean Dr. Heidi Banse.
“Across the country, we are entering a period of time where a big chunk of our profession is retiring,” Banse said. “We did a study a couple of years ago that showed the reasons for exiting the workforce. One of the biggest ones was retirement, a lot of veterinarians actually were saying, ‘You know, I would have retired five years ago, but I can’t find someone to own my practice.'”
Banse hopes the collaboration, as well as A-State’s vet school as a whole, will help ensure there are enough veterinarians in the state ready to take over existing practices whose veterinarians are looking to retire.
The two schools also aim to partner on A-State’s large animal ambulatory service, with Banse noting she hopes to recruit graduates from ASUB’s program to work in the service. ASUB vet tech students get experience in both small and large animal medicine while in the program.
Dr. Angel Jordan, director of ASUB’s CVT program, said after meeting with A-State CVM officials, the goal was now to determine how to best strengthen the relationship between the two.
“We all know that’s vital to that animal having the highest level of care given,” Jordan said. “I think Dr. Banse and I both are on board to strengthen that relationship through our two programs moving forward.”