Clemson University's future veterinary school is making progress

Clemson University reached a new milestone in the construction of South Carolina’s first veterinary school. The Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in Pendelton recently celebrated its’ continuing progress with a traditional beam signing ceremony on the site of the future animal health campus.¹

“The signing of this beam represents more than just the progress of a building–it symbolizes a historic step forward for Clemson University and the state of South Carolina,” Robert H. Jones, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Clemson University, said in a news release.¹ “The Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine will address a critical shortage of veterinarians and serve as a cornerstone for advancing animal and human health, strengthening our state’s economy and keeping top talent in South Carolina.”

The beam signing came 4 months after the CVM’s groundbreaking for the new complex of structures that will house future students and educators. Joining university officials for the beam signing were individuals with Turner Construction, LS3P and Flad architects, and Clemson leaders.¹

Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM, founding dean of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, explained the significance of the traditional beam signing in a dm360 interview. “That beam signing is kind of a culmination. People don't realize [that] when you're building a building, there's so much that happens before the building actually rises. The beam signing .. is between the architects, the contractors, and then the university and the college itself. So everybody comes together. It was very, very special for us,” Marks said.

The CVM campus is a short drive from the university’s main campus in Clemson, South Carolina; across the road from the Clemson University Equine Center in Pendelton, and adjacent to the Clemson Experimental Forest. Marks noted that the design of the CVM campus buildings take their locations into account for the benefit of students and staff. “So there's a lot of glass, a lot of windows to look out, either onto the forest, or you can look across the street onto the current Equine Center. So it's a quite spectacular site,” Marks said. “Students will be able to take a walk in the woods, and will utilize outdoor space…It's quite beautiful.”

Seven structures will make up the veterinary campus and are in various stages of construction with some steel and exterior framing currently being erected. This includes the CVM Hub, which is expected to be fully enclosed by the end of summer 2025.² The CVM Hub will contain classrooms, a library, food service, and social spaces for students to relax in, according to Marks.

According to Stacia Harris, EdD, director of marketing and communications for the CVM, April 2025 is a busy month for the campus. Plans have included the start of steel framing for the clinical teaching and research buildings, and site prep work has accelerated for the equine teaching and food animal buildings. Additionally, steel framing is scheduled to being in summer 2025 on the ambulatory building. Meanwhile, the campus’ utility building has its’ framing completed with roofing started and concrete block walls being installed.²

The research building will contain offices for faculty and graduate students, and laboratories for work in advancing veterinary science³ while the clinical teaching building will primarily house laboratory and simulator spaces for coursework as well as a community clinic that will allow the public to access veterinary care.³ “That's where we'll teach anatomy, where we'll teach your surgical skills,” Marks said.

Meanwhile, the ambulatory service building will be home to a mobile hospital service being created to primarily care for farm animals, according to Marks. The service will provide fourth year students with clinical rotation experience on local farms.³ “Trucks will be deployed into the community with students and faculty,” Marks said.

A new equine teaching building will be located on the front pasture of the current Equine Center. “Horses will be able to just be trotted down into the teaching building, stay there just long enough for the lab to be taught, and then they'll be returned to the Equine Center,” Marks said.

The farm animal teaching building will be off-site, about a 5-minute drive away, on the university’s current dairy farm. “There will be dairy cattle that'll be moved from the herd into the laboratory teaching setting and then returned to the dairy herd,” Marks said.

The CVM was named for Harvey S. Peeler Jr, a senator in the South Carolina General Assembly and a graduate of Clemson University.³ “He is a dairy man at heart. His family is in a dairy industry. It just so happens that he moved throughout his career into a leadership role…He's been embedded in agriculture, and we know how important agriculture is to the state of South Carolina and how important it is to Clemson. It's quite the honor to have his name on our college,” Marks said.

Clemson plans to have the new CVM opening to its’ first students in fall 2026, pending approval from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education. Marks said the university is continuing to work through the process of earning accreditation and is currently on track to make its’ goals. The next step is a comprehensive visit from the AVMA Council on Education scheduled for June 2025.

References

1. Harris S. Building a legacy: CVM Hub beam signing. News release. Clemson University. March 28, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://news.clemson.edu/building-a-legacy-cvm-hub-beam-signing/
2. Harris S. Building a legacy: March 2025 construction update. News release. Clemson University. March 17, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://news.clemson.edu/building-a-legacy-march-2025-construction-update/
3. Clemson breaks ground on Harvey S Peeler Jr College of Veterinary Medicine. News release. November 22, 2024. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://news.clemson.edu/clemson-breaks-ground-on-harvey-s-peeler-jr-college-of-veterinary-medicine/