CLEMSON, S.C. — South Carolina’s first veterinary college took the spotlight Friday as leaders cut the ribbon on the Peeler College of Veterinary Medicine, a campus built to train animal-health professionals for the state.
Eighty Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students started in August, 60 of them South Carolina residents. Officials say keeping that many seats in-state should reduce the number of future veterinarians who once had to leave for programs elsewhere.
The site covers roughly 50 acres and steps about 200 feet down the hillside next to the university forest. Eight buildings include classroom and research space, a central pavilion, and separate teaching barns for horses and farm animals.
Philanthropy underwrites scholarships for every student in the first class, including a Darla Moore program that covers fees and living costs for six students across four years. The Quattlebaum Hub anchors student life on the slope.
University president Ben Ayers and founding dean Steven Marks framed the school as a land-grant answer to animal health and agriculture needs. Ayers noted that over a third of the state’s counties employ fewer than five veterinarians, a gap the college aims to shrink by preparing students who can remain in South Carolina.
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