Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Utah State University and the College of Veterinary Medicine celebrated the grand opening Friday of the Thomas and Patricia Willis Veterinary Medical Education building.
“If you are involved in animal agriculture in any way, today is your day,” said John Ferry, one of a cast of speakers at the event and a key figure in the creation of the veterinary college as a former USU Board of Trustees vice chair.
The festivities included a ribbon cutting and the debut of a limited-edition Aggie Ice Cream flavor: Neigh-apolitan. The event marked the culmination of years of planning and preparation in service of expanding the field of veterinary care throughout all corners of Utah and the Intermountain West.
Manning the pair of giant scissors, Thomas and Patricia Willis, donors for whom the building is named, cut the ribbon. It fell away on the first snip.
The Willises donated $5 million toward the facility and an endowment to support the college on the path ahead. The pair have deep roots in agricultural life and aim to see veterinary medical education thrive at Utah State.
“We saw this as an opportunity to invest in future generations,” Tom said.
The three-story, 113,000 square-foot building took two years and three months to complete. It was designed by Salt Lake City-based VCBO Architects and built by Jacobsen Construction. Thirty of the 41 subcontractors involved in the project are headquartered in Utah.
Guests at the ceremony toured the building, which features a tiered lecture hall, research labs, wet labs, cold rooms, veterinary exam rooms, classrooms, sub-zero freezers, faculty and staff offices, student gathering spaces and outdoor animal enrichment areas. Hidden from view, a complex labyrinth of sophisticated mechanical, electrical and water systems support the capabilities typical of a state-of-the-art animal hospital.
Dirk Vanderwall, the dean of the veterinary college, said facilities like this didn’t exist when he was in vet school.
The design, he said, was intentional and tailored with veterinary students top of mind.
“For example, the new building includes a suite of 10 mock exam rooms, each with an adjacent observation area, so that students can interact with an actor playing a client as part of clinical communication training,” Vanderwall said.
USU President Brad Mortensen expressed thanks for the collaborators statewide who came together to make the plans a reality.
“We are especially grateful to the Utah Legislature and key partners for their commitment to our land-grant mission and for recognizing and investing in our vision to establish Utah’s only veterinary school in a state facing a critical shortage of veterinarians,” he said.
A week prior to the ribbon-cutting, the college welcomed 77 new students as the Class of 2030 donned white coats symbolizing their transition into the veterinary profession and the responsibilities therein. In four years, when they graduate as day-one-ready doctors of veterinary medicine, they will be armed with the clinical skills, practical knowledge, communication tools and personal resilience necessary to contribute to the communities they serve.
Other speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Kelby Anderson, the veterinary college’s president of the Class of 2029; Utah State Rep. Casey Snider, Utah State Sen. Chris Wilson, former state senator Scott Sandall, Geoffrey Landward of the Utah Commission of Higher Education, and Michael Bowen of USU’s Advancement office.
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Since 1888, Utah State University established itself as a premier research institution known through the world for its intellectual and technological leadership. USU’s main campus is in Logan, plus 30 campuses throughout Utah. And as long as WiFi is available, you can be an Aggie anywhere through USU Online.
USU competes in 16 NCAA Division I sports. Our student section, the HURD, is one of the loudest and rowdiest in the nation. The diehards become True Aggies by kissing on the block “A” on Homecoming. Adrenaline junkies sled down Old Main hill between classes or rock climb outside. And everyone eats Aggie Ice Cream — even with a foot of snow on the ground.
#7 Best Bang for the Buck in the West - Washington Monthly
#8 Public University in the Nation - Washington Monthly
#11 Best Online Bachelor's Program - U.S. News & World Report
There’s a place for you at Utah State. Join us.
https://usu.edu/admissions/aggielife/
Follow Us
FB: facebook.com/UtahState
IG: instagram.com/USUAggielife
TW: twitter.com/USUAggies
USU is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination. For USU’s non-discrimination notice, see equity.usu.edu/non-discrimination.
Utah State University and the College of Veterinary Medicine celebrated the grand opening Friday of the Thomas and Patricia Willis Veterinary Medical Education building.
“If you are involved in animal agriculture in any way, today is your day,” said John Ferry, one of a cast of speakers at the event and a key figure in the creation of the veterinary college as a former USU Board of Trustees vice chair.
The festivities included a ribbon cutting and the debut of a limited-edition Aggie Ice Cream flavor: Neigh-apolitan. The event marked the culmination of years of planning and preparation in service of expanding the field of veterinary care throughout all corners of Utah and the Intermountain West.
Manning the pair of giant scissors, Thomas and Patricia Willis, donors for whom the building is named, cut the ribbon. It fell away on the first snip.
The Willises donated $5 million toward the facility and an endowment to support the college on the path ahead. The pair have deep roots in agricultural life and aim to see veterinary medical education thrive at Utah State.
“We saw this as an opportunity to invest in future generations,” Tom said.
The three-story, 113,000 square-foot building took two years and three months to complete. It was designed by Salt Lake City-based VCBO Architects and built by Jacobsen Construction. Thirty of the 41 subcontractors involved in the project are headquartered in Utah.
Guests at the ceremony toured the building, which features a tiered lecture hall, research labs, wet labs, cold rooms, veterinary exam rooms, classrooms, sub-zero freezers, faculty and staff offices, student gathering spaces and outdoor animal enrichment areas. Hidden from view, a complex labyrinth of sophisticated mechanical, electrical and water systems support the capabilities typical of a state-of-the-art animal hospital.
Dirk Vanderwall, the dean of the veterinary college, said facilities like this didn’t exist when he was in vet school.
The design, he said, was intentional and tailored with veterinary students top of mind.
“For example, the new building includes a suite of 10 mock exam rooms, each with an adjacent observation area, so that students can interact with an actor playing a client as part of clinical communication training,” Vanderwall said.
USU President Brad Mortensen expressed thanks for the collaborators statewide who came together to make the plans a reality.
“We are especially grateful to the Utah Legislature and key partners for their commitment to our land-grant mission and for recognizing and investing in our vision to establish Utah’s only veterinary school in a state facing a critical shortage of veterinarians,” he said.
A week prior to the ribbon-cutting, the college welcomed 77 new students as the Class of 2030 donned white coats symbolizing their transition into the veterinary profession and the responsibilities therein. In four years, when they graduate as day-one-ready doctors of veterinary medicine, they will be armed with the clinical skills, practical knowledge, communication tools and personal resilience necessary to contribute to the communities they serve.
Other speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Kelby Anderson, the veterinary college’s president of the Class of 2029; Utah State Rep. Casey Snider, Utah State Sen. Chris Wilson, former state senator Scott Sandall, Geoffrey Landward of the Utah Commission of Higher Education, and Michael Bowen of USU’s Advancement office.
–––––––––––
Since 1888, Utah State University established itself as a premier research institution known through the world for its intellectual and technological leadership. USU’s main campus is in Logan, plus 30 campuses throughout Utah. And as long as WiFi is available, you can be an Aggie anywhere through USU Online.
USU competes in 16 NCAA Division I sports. Our student section, the HURD, is one of the loudest and rowdiest in the nation. The diehards become True Aggies by kissing on the block “A” on Homecoming. Adrenaline junkies sled down Old Main hill between classes or rock climb outside. And everyone eats Aggie Ice Cream — even with a foot of snow on the ground.
#7 Best Bang for the Buck in the West - Washington Monthly
#8 Public University in the Nation - Washington Monthly
#11 Best Online Bachelor's Program - U.S. News & World Report
There’s a place for you at Utah State. Join us.
https://usu.edu/admissions/aggielife/
Follow Us
FB: facebook.com/UtahState
IG: instagram.com/USUAggielife
TW: twitter.com/USUAggies
USU is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination. For USU’s non-discrimination notice, see equity.usu.edu/non-discrimination.
