This is such an arrogant statement and it kind of ticks me off: "More importantly, it is an extremely important time for the people of this region because it is actually the citizens of Amarillo who wind up taking care of all of the folks in this region."

Yep. It's Tech people and Lubbock/Amarillo people, not all the Legislators

It is gonna happen. Tech Vet School is coming, *****es.

https://www.myhighplains.com/news/politics/politics-today-november-4-2018/1570058040

Politics Today: November 4, 2018

http://wtaw.com/2018/11/16/texas-am-system-board-of-regents-approve-166-million-of-building-projects-affecting-the-flagship/

The regents also approved nearly $40 million for two new buildings on the West Texas campus in Canyon to expand a branch of A&M's veterinary college.
Click HERE to read and download information about the Canyon vet school education, research, and outreach center.
Click HERE to read and download information about the Canyon vet school lab.

Saw this pop up today on my bid website. Edit: Not sure if it has anything to do with this.

Thank you! Yes it does have to do with this thread... it is Texas A&M/s continuing commitment to provide the very best facilities to support Vet education and opportunities for students who want to be licensed veterinarians from the Panhandle. It is a pathway to the main campus in College Station for advanced class and R&D work after successfully completing basic coursework.

https://www.amarillo.com/news/20181221/wtamu-announces-two-new-facilities-for-veterinary-education

https://www.amarillopioneer.com/blog/2018/12/20/system-chancellor-breaks-ground-on-wtamu-projects

Quote:

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Quote:
CANYON - The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in College Station will now expand into the Texas Panhandle with the construction of two new facilities in Canyon - the 22,000-square-foot Veterinary Education, Research (VERO) facility and the 11,000-square-foot Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVDL).
A standing-room-only crowd packed a large lecture room Thursday at the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on the WTAMU campus as university officials announced not only the construction of the two facilities, but also the hiring of Dr. Paul Morley, who WTAMU officials said is one of the top large-animal veterinarians in the world.
A Nevada native, Morley earned degrees from Washington State University. He specializes in epidemiology and has been a professor at Colorado State University for the past 20 years.
After the announcements, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held in the lobby.
"Today marks the culmination of an idea that began 10 years ago," said Dr. Eleanor M. Green, who holds the Carl B. King deanship of Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
She called the new facilities a "Texas powerhouse investment" and said they would create a "superhighway" that will connect the veterinary medicine program in College Station with Canyon.

John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, said that Thursday's groundbreakings were the culmination of a $90 million investment in the future of large animal health in the Panhandle.

The VERO facility will serve as a learning space to supplement WTAMU programs in rural Texas.
Adjacent to the VERO facility, the TVMDL facility, budgeted at nearly $18 million, will feature the latest diagnostic technologies. to provide the best in diagnostic capabilities. The TVMDL will house labs for bacteriology, pathology, serology and virology as well as spaces for receiving and processing and necropsy and support, according to a press release.

"Today's ground breakings are the culmination of our $90 million investment in the future of large animal health in the Panhandle," John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, said. "This investment and the buildings we are breaking ground on here today ensure The Texas A&M University System continues to not only meet but exceed the needs of this region and the state in the future."

The TVMDL building will be named the Charles W. Graham, DVM Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory after Dr. Graham, a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus and one of Texas' most renowned equine veterinarians.

Graham's veterinary practice led to the establishment of Southwest Stallion Station, a horse-breeding business responsible for the nation's most famous quarter horses. He is the only person to serve as president of both the Texas Quarter Horse Association and the Texas Thoroughbred Breeders Association. In addition to the equine industry, he is recognized as a successful cattleman and founder of Graham Land and Cattle Company, specializing in Braham-influenced cattle.
Sharp said that the two new facilities under construction are an important part of The Texas A&M University System's "Serving Every Texan Every Day" initiative to partner with four system schools WTAMU, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Tarleton State University and Prairie View A&M University to expand the veterinary medical education, research, undergraduate education and outreach throughout the state.

Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Services (CVM) established the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Complex at WTAMU to address the shortage of large animal veterinarians in Texas.

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It does. Vaughn construction took bids on the structural and site packages for the projects. That was bid package 2

They should name the new buildings


"John Sharp's Middle Finger".

Andy Farmer said:

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Damn right.

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M.D. said:

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Poor stupid Aggies

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CanyonAg77 said:

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They should name the new buildings


"John Sharp's Middle Finger".

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And Tech will move forward anyways.

Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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They should name the new buildings


"John Sharp's Middle Finger".

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And Tech will move forward anyways.

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Kind of hard to do when the HECB says "no".

CanyonAg77 said:

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Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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They should name the new buildings


"John Sharp's Middle Finger".

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And Tech will move forward anyways.

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Kind of hard to do when the HECB says "no".

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Guess you'll keep saying that until it happens, eh? It is coming whether Sharp likes it or not.

Why do you think the HECB will reverse itself, after decades of saying no?

CanyonAg77 said:

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Why do you think the HECB will reverse itself, after decades of saying no?

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You think Tech is going to make the push it is if it wasn't certain it would get approval?

Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Why do you think the HECB will reverse itself, after decades of saying no?

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You think Tech is going to make the push it is if it wasn't certain it would get approval?

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It is their M.O.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Why do you think the HECB will reverse itself, after decades of saying no?

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You think Tech is going to make the push it is if it wasn't certain it would get approval?

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It is their M.O.

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Not like this.

Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Why do you think the HECB will reverse itself, after decades of saying no?

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You think Tech is going to make the push it is if it wasn't certain it would get approval?

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It is their M.O.

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Not like this.

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Yep, it is. I've been a resident of the Panhandle-South Plains for 60+ years. This is exactly how they do things.

Not this go-round. But we will just agree to disagree.

Andy Farmer said:

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Not this go-round. But we will just agree to disagree.

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So you agree that this is their previous MO?

CanyonAg77 said:

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Andy Farmer said:

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Not this go-round. But we will just agree to disagree.

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So you agree that this is their previous MO?

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Not really. There have always been rumors but when your chancellor comes out and says we are doing this...if he didn't come through he would have a lot to explain. And the funding is secured so....

Some of the funding to build is pledged. The funding to operate is not.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Some of the funding to build is pledged. The funding to operate is not.

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Their request for funding from the state dropped from money to operate (90 mil) to enough to keep the charade alive (~10 mil). Not convinced they have all the money to build yet. Although, I guess it will take a few years to build.

BiochemAg97 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Some of the funding to build is pledged. The funding to operate is not.

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Their request for funding from the state dropped from money to operate (90 mil) to enough to keep the charade alive (~10 mil). Not convinced they have all the money to build yet. Although, I guess it will take a few years to build.

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Yeah, they got the lege to kick in about $5m to pay a few cronies to do "studies". Local groups have pledged some money, but no one has written a check yet.

BiochemAg97 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Some of the funding to build is pledged. The funding to operate is not.

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Their request for funding from the state dropped from money to operate (90 mil) to enough to keep the charade alive (~10 mil). Not convinced they have all the money to build yet. Although, I guess it will take a few years to build.

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Private donations are at 47 mill and growing. AEDC has pledged 69 mill to bridge the gap but that figure will drop as more private funds come in. So build costs are covered.

Tech has asked for 17 mill from state for operational funding to get started.

Andy Farmer said:

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BiochemAg97 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Some of the funding to build is pledged. The funding to operate is not.

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Their request for funding from the state dropped from money to operate (90 mil) to enough to keep the charade alive (~10 mil). Not convinced they have all the money to build yet. Although, I guess it will take a few years to build.

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Private donations are at 47 mill and growing. AEDC has pledged 69 mill to bridge the gap but that figure will drop as more private funds come in. So build costs are covered.

Tech has asked for 17 mill from state for operational funding to get started.

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Exactly... earlier they said operating costs would be 90 mil for the first 5 years, but the request is 17 for 2 years. That is a very slow ramp, or just asking for another chunk to pay some cronies to watch over the construction project.

Andy F said:

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Tech has asked for 17 mill from state for operational funding to get started.

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A&M is putting $90 million into the Vet programs at WTAMU

A&M added $120m in new Vet School construction at the A&M campus in 2010

It takes $19m a year to run the Texas Vet Medicine Diagnostic Lab

The Vet Medicine Teaching Hospital alone takes $17m a year....and I don't think Tech has plans for one, which calls the whole program into question

Best I can tell, the Vet school annual budget is $45m

$17m to operate a vet school is a fairy tale

It is coming. Deny it all you want.

The new chancellor wouldn't put his ass on the line if he couldn't get it done. Plus, after the Rick Francis fiasco....it is coming. Regardless of whether TAMU puts a 500 mill facility in Canyon or not. I know A&M wants to have the lone program in the state just because it is A&M but obviously there is a market for both programs to thrive. A&M just hates when someone steps in their territory.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Quote:

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obviously there is a market for both programs to thrive.

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Higher Education Coordinating Board says....."No."

And the biggest fairy tale is that your alleged grads will somehow not go to the big city, where they can work fewer hours and make more money, but that they will stay in the area.

But then, your whole premise is to ignore economic reality.

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Yup. Tech is just making stats up. We are doing this to spite AM

Andy Far said:

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Yup. Tech is just making stats up. We are doing this to spite AM

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Not to spite, just more of your inferiority complex.

And again, why is a Vet degree from Amarillo a guarantee that a vet will stay there? Are all the Aggie vets working within a 100 mile radius of College Station?

CanyonAg77 said:

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Andy Far said:

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Yup. Tech is just making stats up. We are doing this to spite AM

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Not to spite, just more of your inferiority complex.

And again, why is a Vet degree from Amarillo a guarantee that a vet will stay there? Are all the Aggie vets working within a 100 mile radius of College Station?

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It isn't a guarantee. But 60% of Texas vets come from out of state which tells me there is opportunity to keep some grads in state with another vet school to support those that possibly didn't get in to A&M. Nothing is a guarantee but increases the odds.

Andy Farmer said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Andy Far said:

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Yup. Tech is just making stats up. We are doing this to spite AM

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Not to spite, just more of your inferiority complex.

And again, why is a Vet degree from Amarillo a guarantee that a vet will stay there? Are all the Aggie vets working within a 100 mile radius of College Station?

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It isn't a guarantee. But 60% of Texas vets come from out of state which tells me there is opportunity to keep some grads in state with another vet school to support those that possibly didn't get in to A&M. Nothing is a guarantee but increases the odds.

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I love this arguement...

Lots of students leave Texas to go to other schools and then come back to Texas to be vets, therefore we should open more vets schools.

But let's dig into this a bit. When a student goes to an in state vet school (A&M or a potential Tech vet school), the state picks up part of the bill. When a student goes out of state, the state doesn't pick up the bill.

So what Tech is arguing is that the state should sign up to pay for more vet education because we are already getting those vets without the tax payer expense.

Yeah, that makes sense.