CKP STUDIO – CORY KLEIN, PHOTOGRAPHER
It’s all in a day’s work at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) and UW Veterinary Care (UWVC): potentially life-saving research and clinical trials; a parade of all kinds of animals being seen, diagnosed and treated; students training with interns, residents and faculty members who are leaders in their fields to become the next generation of trusted veterinarians.
After decades of documented need for enhanced spaces and equipment, followed by a multi-year capital campaign, building design and construction, the initial phases of the SVM North building are now open, ushering in a new era in which the school’s facilities and capabilities are poised to build on its long-standing reputation of excellence and leadership.
“This state-of-the-art facility represents a vital investment in maintaining UW’s reputation as a world-class veterinary medical education and research institution,” says Wisconsin State Representative Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander), who serves as Vice-Chairman of the State Building Commission. “It will provide expansive classroom, laboratory and clinical spaces that foster an innovative, hands-on learning environment to enhance animal and human health, strengthen our agricultural economy and reinforce Wisconsin’s reputation at the forefront of veterinary innovation.”
It’s been five years since Governor Tony Evers signed approval of the building project into law. The $174 million project, which included a combination of state and university funding, went on to secure private gift support totaling $62.5 million. As a testament to the broad reach of the SVM family and goodwill for the work that happens here, more than 650 households and 1,000 individuals/organizations gave median gifts of around $500 to support the project. These generous supporters represent 41 different counties in Wisconsin and 37 of the 50 United States.
“For decades, UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine has provided students critical training and education to help bolster our state’s workforce while providing high-quality care to ensure the health and well-being of animals from every corner of the state,” says Gov. Evers. “I’m proud of my administration’s work to support this expansion and look forward to continuing to invest in vital projects like this on our state’s campuses that not only benefit our students and higher education but help build a more prosperous future for Wisconsin.”
Adds Debbie Cervenka, a member of the SVM board of visitors and co-chair of the “Animals Need Heroes Too” fundraising campaign, “The SVM has a stellar reputation in Wisconsin and beyond, and we’re consistently ranked in the top SVMs in the country. Our ability to train the very best veterinarians is now greatly enhanced. The new facilities will attract the best students, teachers and research people so we will have an even greater impact on animal and human health.”
The complete scope of the project includes the construction and phased opening of the north building (approximately 150,000 square feet) as well as significant renovations to the original south building (35,000 square feet), which are currently underway and targeted for completion in 2025. New and renovated spaces are designed to thoughtfully serve the needs of all constituents – patients, clients, clinicians, students, scientists and staff members – in a variety of ways.
A few examples of the benefits of the spaces now open on the first floor of SVM North include:
• Dedicated rounds rooms within each department that facilitate collaboration on cases as well as interaction between students and faculty
• Fifteen new private exam rooms to accommodate a growing caseload and decrease wait times
• A variety of waiting areas specific to dogs and cats to help traffic flow and reduce stress to animals and their people
• Designated areas for various levels of care, from isolation to critical to intermediate, which streamline staffing and provide safer and more comfortable care for animals based on condition and need
• Significant use of daylighting and natural light throughout the facility, as well as flexible options for locker rooms and showers, that enhance amenities and environment for workers
“As our students, clinicians and team members get settled in the spaces that are now open in the North Building, its exciting to see how the painstaking plans we made are becoming the new normal,” says Dr. Christopher Snyder, director, UW Veterinary Care, and associate dean for clinical affairs. “Every day I’m seeing new learning opportunities in action, thoughtful interactions among teams and tangible benefits to clients and patients.”
As the phased north building opening continues over the next year or so, additional spaces that will come online include a large animal isolation wing and a 14,000 square foot covered arena that will serve as a year-round exam space for large animals. The space will also eventually house the horses that serve in the UW-Madison Police Department Mounted Unit.
Hospital staff, students, clients and visitors will also enjoy new outdoor spaces beginning next year, including a rooftop terrace and street level courtyard featuring an incredible one-of-a-kind sculpture donated by veterinarian, artist and SVM alumnus John Hallett (DVM ’90).
Lab spaces on second floor of SVM North opened this summer while third floor lab space is slated to be ready for use in 2025. These spaces are designed to be interactive and flexibly used while also offering equipment and technologies that ensure adherence to best practices and meet all biosafety (BSL2 and BSL3) standards and requirements.
“These modernized and streamlined lab spaces are critical to continue our world-class research programs and advance our commitment to the concept of ‘One Health’ for animals, people and planet,” says Marulasiddappa Suresh, DVM, MVSc, PhD, professor of immunology and associate dean for research and graduate education. “SVM researchers conduct 75% of all infectious disease research on campus, from COVID to influenza and beyond, and communities from our own backyard to the other side of the world benefit from the life-improving and life-saving discoveries that happen here every day.”
From the hospital to the arena to the labs and beyond, all of these spaces offer enhanced opportunities for the students, interns and residents who learn and work in them. From more dedicated study and collaboration space to access to leading edge equipment and technology, the veterinarians who train at SVM will benefit from access to a learning and working environment that is state-of-the-art, intentional and effective. To complement that, an updated curriculum that has been four years in development launches with the incoming class starting in fall of 2025.
“Over my 12 years as dean, the new building is an obvious and visible point of pride – but I’m equally proud of the hard work that went into updating our curriculum to match these beautiful new facilities,” says Mark Markel, DVM, PhD, who ended his tenure as SVM dean on July 31 (Jonathan Levine, DVM, DACVIM became the school’s new dean on August 1). “All aspects of the new curriculum are designed to prepare our veterinarians for success on day one through practical skills and modules based around unifying veterinary medicine topics, as well as by preparing them for everything from having difficult conversations with clients to caring for their own wellbeing.”
The design of the north building and renovations to the south building were a collaborative effort of Flad Architects, Foil Wyatt Architects & Planners LLC, Affiliated Engineers, Inc., and UW–Madison, UW System, and Wisconsin Department of Administration representatives completed the design for the project. CD Smith serves as general contractor.
By all accounts, the project and process has been a collaborative effort to meet a variety of different needs while keeping an eye firmly on the continued leadership of a school that has consistently been held in high esteem – by every measure from national rankings to statewide economic impact to serving local and regional communities with care and compassion.
“It is an honor to have played a role in this critical project to ensure that our outstanding faculty, staff and students have space and equipment that reflects the caliber of work they do and supports their mission of advancing animal and human health,” says Kristi Thorson, associate dean for advancement and administration, who has led the project’s fundraising and legislative approval efforts as well as serving as the school’s representative for the design and construction processes.
Adds UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin, “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this incredible school: the discoveries and innovations, the graduates who will meet the state’s urgent need for veterinarians, and the compassionate care that will change the lives of our animal patients as well as the lives of the humans who love them.”
SUSTAINABILITY
SVM North sustainability features and highlights include:
• Significant use of natural light and skylights
• Bird safe glass on large windows
• Outlets throughout connected directly to back up power sources
• Digital wayfinding and information sharing
HIGHLIGHTS
Building and renovation project highlights include:
• Capacity to serve more than 35,000 cases annually (original building was designed to accommodate about 12,000; we currently see nearly 30,000)
• 15 additional private exam rooms
• 9 new state-of-the-art operating theaters
• 3 fully functional echocardiogram bays
• The new Badger Market with breakfast, lunch, coffee & snack options
• Enhanced imaging for both large and small animals, including MRI, CT and PET/CT
• Intentional workspaces for students, faculty and staff to collaborate and better manage cases
• Leading-edge laboratory space and equipment to facilitate world-class research
DEPARTMENTS
Departments now housed in SVM North:
• Emergency
• Small Animal Isolation, Critical & Intermediate Care
• Small Animal Internal Medicine
• Anesthesia
• General & Orthopedic Surgery
• Clinical Pathology
• Cardiology & Interventional Cardiology
• Neurology
• Diagnostic Imagining
• Acupuncture
• Physical Rehabilitation
ROOM TO GROW
Renovations to SVM South will accommodate:
• Expanded cancer center for both medical and radiation oncology
• Expanded and modernized large animal isolation facilities, the only such facility in Wisconsin
• Dedicated waiting space for special species
• Addition of PET/CT for both large and small animals