A task force that will study the feasibility of developing a School of Veterinary Medicine at Murray State University has been appointed, and five of its members live or work in Christian County.
They include:
- Dr. Debbie Reed, director of Murray’s Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville
- Theresa Nichol, a representative of Garnett Farms
- Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam
- Kristen Stewart, agriculture coordinator at Hopkinsville Community College
- Jason Vincent, executive director of Pennyrile Area Development District
Murray’s Board of Regents adopted a resolution in August to create the task force, which has 37 members.
In a press release, Murray officials noted that approximately 70 residents leave the state every year to study veterinary medicine elsewhere because Kentucky does not have a vet school.
Two Murray State officials will serve as task force co-chairs — Dr. Brian Parr, dean, Hutson School of Agriculture, and Jordan Smith, executive director of Government and Institutional Relations.
“I am very pleased to appoint this important task force of leading agricultural professionals as we study the many critical needs in this area and advance a School of Veterinary Medicine in Kentucky at Murray State University,” Murray State University President Dr. Bob Jackson said in the release “We have a growing shortage of veterinarians in Kentucky and we are excited to advance the important work of addressing this need. We are extremely grateful to the members of this group for their assistance and wise counsel as we move forward.”
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
