Two days after signing the bill allocating $50 million to the project, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was at Colorado State University on Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony for the university’s new Veterinary Health and Education Complex.
“You haven’t wasted any time; you’re breaking ground two days later,” Polis said. “That’s what I like about CSU.”
The CSU Board of Governors, who were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony, approved $230 million for the state-of-the-art facility. In addition to the state’s contribution, funding is also coming from private donations, revenue bonds issued by the university and other sources. Lead donor Allen Hanano, a Denver businessman who was on hand for Thursday’s ceremony, pledged $2.5 million.
The 213,000-square-foot facility on the South Campus that houses its current veterinary medicine facilities is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2026-27 school year. It will allow CSU to increase the number of incoming students in its veterinary medicine program by 30 each year, from 138 to 168, growing the total capacity from 600 students to 720, a school spokesperson confirmed Friday. The new facility will also open up space on CSU’s main campus for more than 275 students in undergraduate biomedical sciences and other programs.