The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine recently received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the American Medical Association’s council, paving the way for the school to welcome its first inaugural class of 70 students in the fall of 2025. The program will become New Jersey’s first Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. 

Dr. Matthew Edson is the founding dean of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine. 

“It’s certainly a really important project for the growth of the institution itself, but it’s a really major milestone for access to veterinary education in our state since we have not had that before,” said Edson. 

The program will focus on the student experience and help the students gain knowledge and skills to enter the veterinary industry. 

“I think all of us here are very focused on the student experience, and making sure that the students in this program are getting what they pay for as a veterinary student, which is an education that prepares them well to enter the workforce as a competent entry-level veterinarian,” said Edson. 

The school will feature a teaching hospital, a large educational program, and research endeavors. 

“It’s a pretty large, comprehensive program,” said Edson. “We have an entire teaching hospital that’s going up for members of the public to bring pets to for general care all the way through specialty care, plus a large educational program, plus research endeavors.” 

The goal of this program is to educate veterinary students about caring for animals and to make them excellent communicators. 

Phil Barnes is the director of Public Relations & Communications for the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine.  

“Veterinarians who on top of being knowledgeable clinicians are also just good communicators and just wonderful human beings as well,” said Barnes. “We want really good people out there taking care of animals and the people connected to those animals.” 

The program will offer scholarships for students to graduate and set them up for success as a clinician. 

“We’ve got great scholarships,” said Barnes. “You can come and you can get your education, and be able to then graduate and go do what you want to do as a clinician. We’re really setting students up for success.” 

The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine represents innovation from the use of new technology and the fact that it will be happening at Rowan University. 

“I think innovation comes to mind,” said Barnes. “We’re new, we could have the advantage of taking all the best practices and best ideas from all the other veterinary schools and incorporate them into our school right from the start, which is a wonderful place to be. Also, we’re at Rowan University. We have access to the latest technology and just a plethora of brilliant people across campus.”

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