South Dakota State Aiming to Retain Veterinary Students

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) -- A new partnership with the University of Minnesota aims to lower tuition costs for South Dakota State University's veterinary medicine students and allow them to stay closer to home the first two years of graduate work.

Students accepted into the rural veterinary program would complete their first two years of graduate courses in SDSU's department of veterinary and biomedical services before transferring to the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine.

SDSU veterinary department director Jane Christopher-Hennings says bills are being drafted this year that would redirect subsidies from undergraduate programs. She says SDSU is requesting $275,000 yearly for a three-year period starting in 2020 to cover salaries.

The program intends to focus on needs in the veterinary students' home areas, specifically for large-animal veterinarians.